How I Reset My Life by Quitting Drinking by Lisa May Bennett, author of My Unfurling
Wickedhangovers. Scary blackouts. Ugly fights with friends. The results of bingedrinking weigh heavily on Lisa May Bennett. She tries repeatedly to savor “justa few” glasses of wine—only to find herself passed out on the couch again.
Lisahas a bucket list full of exciting adventures with zero check marks next tothem. Her anxiety and self-doubt are crying out for real solutions, not morebooze. And her dream of becoming a published writer is fading away. She worriesthat her love of a good buzz will keep her stuck in this rut. Can she takecharge of her life, or is she headed for a disastrous rock bottom?
Thistouching and funny memoir explores the childhood experiences that paved the wayfor Lisa’s drinking habit. She examines her complicated relationship with hermother, her experiences as a late bloomer, and her ongoing search forvalidation. In an engaging and relatable voice, the author shares how she beganto “unfurl” without alcohol holding her back. But will she stay sober anddiscover how to truly thrive? Anyone wondering if they'll ever burst out andfollow their dreams will find My Unfurling compelling and hopeful.
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How I Reset My Life byQuitting Drinking
For many years, decadesactually, I was an enthusiastic drinker. I couldn’t imagine a Friday night, afancy dinner, or getting together with friends without an alcoholic beverage. Ithelped me relax after a stressful week, and it made the good times seem evenbetter. You could say that drinking was my main hobby, along with watching TVand cooking (both of which could be done with a bottomless glass of wine).
Sure, I often drank waytoo much, which resulted in some bad nights. I was no stranger to blacking out,getting into nasty arguments, or making a fool of myself. But I always thoughtquitting drinking was for people whose lives were totally falling apart.We hear about those big “rock bottoms” people hit—losing your job, getting in acar accident, discovering your health is at risk, being arrested, or losingcustody of your kids. These are the experiences that are supposed to send you straightinto recovery.
I didn’t hit one of thoserock bottoms. So, every time I pondered whether my relationship with alcoholwas toxic, I concluded that it wasn’t that bad. Except for that one time.Oh, and that other time. But otherwise, I was good, right? When I hit middleage, I started wondering if there was more to life. Was my routine way tooroutine? I had a bucket list of fun things that I wanted to try—none of whichwere getting checked off. Most importantly, I had dreamed of becoming apublished author since I was a kid, and that had gone nowhere.
I did a lot of thinkingabout what was standing in the way of these things I desired. Watching less TVwould definitely open up more time, and cutting back my social media scrolling wasa no-brainer. But after going alcohol-free during a 30-day food eliminationprogram, quitting drinking started to emerge as the potential key to resettingmy life. Several more years passed before I finally made the decision to partways with alcohol. I don’t know if I had been waiting for a serious rockbottom. A different kind of sign—an online essay kind of like this one is whatfinally pushed me off the fence.
Once I stopped, areinvigorated life began to unfold. I checked off many of those bucket-listitems, and I’m still adding to the list. I finally returned to my writing, and Iauthored and self-published a memoir. (And I’m working on book two.) Maybe Inever would have hit a true rock bottom. Maybe I didn’t have a “real” problem,as some people close to me have suggested. But I think it was a problem that Iwas more attached to drinking than I was to fulfilling my dreams.
So, if you’re looking fora sign, take it from me—you don’t have to wait for a big, scary one. Maybe thisis your notice that life can get much more interesting than you ever imaginedonce you give alcohol the boot.
About the Author
Lisa May Bennett isthe author of the memoir My Unfurling: Emerging from the Grip of Anxiety,Self-Doubt, and Drinking. She had a flourishing career in marketing andcommunications for more than two decades before finally embracing sobriety andchasing her dream of becoming an author. Her upcoming book will demystify theself-publishing process, and she hopes to encourage more people to tell andpublish their own stories.
You can follow theauthor at:
https://www.lisamaybennett.com/
https://www.facebook.com/lisamaybennett
