It’s no exaggeration to say that quitting alcohol is the best thing I’ve ever done. I truly feel like getting sober has enabled me to become the person I was always supposed to be.

I was able to fully devote myself to a career I cared about and used my voice to make a difference for the disabled community: firstly as a writer and then as an editor by creating a platform for disabled people to share their own stories called The Unwritten. I never had the courage or self-belief to do that while I was drinking.

I strive to make people care about the topics I want to see in the media because I actually care myself now. I pinch myself when I think about how much my profile has grown in the last few years. The harsh reality is that none of it would’ve happened if I was still drinking.

Nobody tells you how much you feel everything so deeply when you take away the thing suppressing it, in my case booze. When I got sober I was finally able to confront my mental health, as my feelings and pain were no longer being numbed. I didn’t realise just how much I had been pushing down and locking away, and it was terrifying (but freeing) to let it all out. I realise now I needed to feel everything in order to heal my wounds.

Getting sober was the best thing that happened to me because it allowed me to get back to what was important to me and who I wanted to be and allowed me to remember that only I could make it happen. I’m a better wife, friend and family member because now I care about maintaining relationships and I’m open about what I want. Getting sober led to a lot of very honest discussions with friends and families, setting boundaries around what I was comfortable with and what I definitely wasn’t, but in the end, we’re all stronger and the relationships that are worthwhile are better for it.

Writer’s note: a book I would recommend for anyone who is interested in leaving booze behind is Quit Like A Woman by Holly Whittaker.

“Getting sober helped me become the person I was always supposed to be”