Comic Strips

23 Months Sober

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I hit 23 months today, so I’m getting close to 2 years alcohol-free now. It might sound strange, but it feels completely normal and hard to believe simultaneously.

I’ve been less active in making posts here for a while, and I’ve realised that a few made it to Instagram but not here. This is mostly because I’m busy doing exciting new things that have only happened thanks to sobriety.

I’m still feeling very happy with my choice to stop drinking, but I’ll never take it for granted, so the online sober community will always be important to me.

Thank you to everybody who’s been on this journey with me. Thanks for sharing your stories and for supporting each other. Hugs x

My New YouTube Channel

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It’s amazing what you can get done when you’re sober

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So, I’ve been working hard on my new YouTube channel for the last couple of months. It’s been a steep learning curve filled with new tech, new software, old half-forgotten software and a new platform to get my head around.

None of it would have happened if I was still making my free time dysfunctional by drinking a stupefying, focus-ruining liquid. I’m getting to know myself again on a deeper level and discovering (or remembering) what I love to do. At the moment, that’s diving into all things sound healing, frequency meditation and making chill-out music.

None of it is specifically sobriety-related, and some bits might sound unusual, but if you’re curious, I’d love you to come and visit me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@sensorysonic

Have a lovely sober weekend everybody x

600 Days

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Another day, another sobriety milestone

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It’s been a while since I did a milestone post. They come far less frequently the further along we get. At one time, 600 days seemed like an unimaginable time to go without alcohol. I would often crumble on day 6 of my early attempts. But here I am, happy and comfortable in my new not-drinking normal. 

It does get easier over time, and it’s worth the effort to get through the early struggles and doubts to reach this point. Nothing’s perfect, but everything’s better than when I was drinking. 

I’m on day 2 of no coffee and just starting to shake the lethargic feeling that has had me dozing on and off for the last 48 hours. I was badly craving a cup yesterday to ‘perk me up’ but stayed strong and said no. Amazingly I haven’t had any headaches, so I’m thankful for that. The extra rest was nice too.

Happy sober weekend to you x

A Sober Glow

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Image by the author

Just a quick motivating observation this week. Yesterday I had one of those lovely peak experiences where nothing is out of the ordinary, but everything feels perfect. I just sat on the sofa with my cat, drinking coffee and watching the morning sun appear over the opposite rooftops.

There have been no dramatic changes in my life circumstances, yet I’ve recently felt great. More open, appreciative, mindful, curious and creative. It’s hard to pin down or put into words, so I’ll call it a sober glow.

When we first get sober, it’s hard to imagine it, but it does creep up on you over time. I think I finally understand that sober saying, ‘Don’t quit before the magic happens.’ The magic does happen if you keep going.

Have a lovely sober weekend, everybody x

Affirmation Hesitations

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A comic strip about mindful self-talk and our subconscious.

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I’ve been playing around with affirmations this week. I had an idea to make affirmation videos, so I started writing some. It turns out it’s pretty easy to do these badly and send the wrong message to our subconscious.

As I wrote some bad ones, I noticed they sounded like how I would talk to myself when I first tried to stop drinking. It was a bit of an aha moment. I’d say to myself things like, ‘I WON’T drink’, not realising my subconscious would erase the ‘won’t’. I kept telling it, ‘I drink’.

It’s a fascinating subject, and this artwork is my very amateur exploration of it. I wish I’d understood this better at the beginning of my sober journey. I think it would have helped.

I haven’t been online much in the last week or two, so I hope everybody’s well and heading into a lovely weekend x

Pausing And Reflecting

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And making new plans and goals.

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I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about my future goals in life. Spending less time online is great for that, but I have missed keeping up with everybody.

I’ve known for years I’ve needed to do some retraining, but because it has to be something I’m going to love and not just something I do for the money, I’ve so far never decided on (or stuck with) anything. I think I have a plan now, though.

I want to do a meditation teacher training course, followed by a combined hypnotherapy and CBT course. Maybe I’ll add breathwork training later, too. You get the idea.

Ideally, I’ll combine this knowledge with my illustration, animation, audio, video and written creativity to make lots of helpful, accessible tools and services.

It’s great in theory, but I’m aware it’s a big commitment both in time and financially. It’s the first plan in years that’s really inspired me, so I think it will be worth it.

This is partly why I’m making a YouTube channel. I’ve been working hard on that, and I’ll be introducing it soon. It’s already up and running, but I’m waiting until I have a few more videos live. It feels like back when I put my first comic strips online, but much harder, because it’s using a load of new skills.

Have a great sober weekend, everybody x

Alcohol-Free Skin

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An Example of sober healing.

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The most visible improvement to happen to me now I’m living an alcohol-free life is the change in my skin. I’d struggled for years with worsening flare-ups, and they were becoming painful, unsightly and having so much broken skin was an infection risk. 

I’m unsure if it’s eczema or psoriasis, but all I ever received from doctors were prescriptions for steroid creams (which come with side effects) and greasy emollients (which made it worse). I always want to know why something’s happening rather than dousing down symptoms with medications. Alcohol was getting in the way of me doing this.

Now that I’m sober, I’m not consistently stressing my immune system by poisoning my body, which must have helped. I’ve identified dietary triggers and had the discipline to avoid them. Slowly, the terrible sores have cleared. It’s a huge relief not to have skin that scares small children anymore!

It’s not perfect. I still get minor flare-ups in my hairline and on my hands, but I’m now confident things are roughly under control–completely steroid free. It’s yet another win for alcohol-free living.

Pressing Pause

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A comic strip about taking time out to refocus

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For the last 18 months, my priority has been to get and stay sober. My comic strips have played a significant role in making this happen, but now it feels like time to pause. I plan to continue making them, but I need to work out where I’m going with them.

I’m also dealing with many lifey things at the moment. I’m still struggling with back and knee injuries, causing me problems at work. It’s becoming increasingly clear my heavy-lifting job isn’t going to suit me for much longer.

My brain is on fire with ideas and enthusiasm at the moment. I credit sobriety for this. I’m revisiting old skills and learning new ones to hopefully create a better way of paying the bills. I’m doing a proofreading and editing course, starting a YouTube channel, and considering doing other retraining courses later this year. It all takes a lot of time.

I’ll repost some early comic strips sometimes and do some new types of posts. I’m not disappearing; just taking time to refocus and work on new ventures. I’ll probably be around more often if each post doesn’t take so much time and effort.

Brain Farts—Episode One

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A comedy strip about those annoying senior moments.

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Even this long sober, my brain still has its comedy moments. I don’t know if it’s my age (perimenopausal) or the hot weather (I become dysfunctional above 25 degrees), but this week I’ve been the queen of brain farts. Blank stares. Journeys to other rooms for mysterious, forgotten reasons. Lack of focus and mental energy.

Oh well, it could be worse. At least I’m not still battering my ageing brain cells with alcohol.