How to Have Fun Without Alcohol (Plus What To Do If You Are In Denver)

June 25, 2019 Yvonne Matthews

It’s been a minute crew. I know. My apologies.

I am in the process of redoing my website and getting ready to share some exciting news to come in a few months when I am able to share it! So, stay tuned!

One of the groups I help in my practice is those that struggle with the place of alcohol in their lives. And really I hesitate to use the word struggle because they may or may not struggle with it. But either way, they choose not to drink, prefer not to drink much or maybe they do have that lingering question of if they drink too much. This is not to say any of these people have an alcohol problem. That’s really not the right question to ask. Rather ask another question: what role does alcohol play in your life? And why do you choose to drink or not? And how do you feel about your relationship with alcohol?

So, I wanted to share some ideas of things to do to that aren’t centered around alcohol. Seems these days everything is centered around alcohol. I mean I love a good 10k, but why do we need to drink beer while we run it or even after? Sometimes I find having a plan, knowing where and what do do and that others out there are in the same boat is half the battle. And aside from these great ideas, there are some wonderful places and events to do if you are here in lovely Denver, Colorado.

The Sobriety Series: The Benefits of Sobriety

October 3, 2018 Yvonne Matthews

I’ve been having amazing conversations lately! I think whenever you are doing something extraordinary or out of the norm, people are intrigued and that’s when real conversations start to happen, none of that small-talk BS. For awhile after I stopped drinking, I was hesitant or fearful of telling those I was out with that I wasn’t drinking because I didn’t what to make other feel uncomfortable or I wasn’t quite sure what to say. But lately, I have been feeling strong in what I’m doing and welcoming the tough, thoughtful conversations around it. And I’m even getting more positive responses than I once used to. I also I get a lot of people saying that they’ve never gone more than a few days to a month without alcohol, but are curious about living alcohol free. I know it’s a challenge, anytime we change our habits it is uncomfortable. But getting uncomfortable is always where change starts and happens. Jason Reynolds says it best, “Be not afraid of discomfort. If you can't put yourself in a situation where you are uncomfortable, then you will never grow. You will never change. You'll never learn.”

The Sobriety Series: Thinking About Sobriety and How to Get Started

August 28, 2018 Yvonne Matthews

You may have seen a few of my stories and posts on Instagram lately talking about my recent but long-coming choice to be sober. With all the support and love have also come a lot of questions about it, how I feel, how I made the decision, how I started, etc. So, rather than just leave it on Instagram I thought it might be well time to share some thoughts here on this topic and the beginning stages of thinking about or starting sobriety.

A Personal Life Update & the Top 5 Holistic Ways to Ditch or Cut Back on Alcohol or Cravings

July 31, 2018 Yvonne Matthews

Many of you have been following along on my journey of kicking alcohol to the curb. I thought I would share a few of the things I have learned on my journey over the past few months and some tips and tricks for starting this process and continued success. As someone who has struggled on and off with alcohol, it’s been a long and winding road to get to where I am today, a culmination of events, decisions and experiments to find and see what works for me.

Here’s a summary of what led me to where I am today. Please don’t read these as excuses, they are not, I hold myself fully accountable for my own decisions and actions. I also think it’s important to look at where habits and beliefs might come from. And share so that others don’t feel so alone. It can feel like a lonely journey to be on sometimes. You are not alone.

My Year Alcohol-Free

June 14, 2016 Yvonne Matthews

I have been procrastinating writing this post for a few days. When I wake up in the morning it’s on my to-do list, but yet somehow SOMETHING or NOTHING always gets in the way of me writing it. So today, I am sitting here after procrastinating yet again for at least an hour or so, and I am finally putting some words to the proverbial paper. And yet all I can think about is going and checking my laundry. You know… maybe it’s done and needs to go into the dryer. You know, that’s SO much more important than this… hmmmm.

So what is so important and yet so hard to write, you ask?!? Well, a very personal topic to me. Drinking. No. Not soda or water. But Alcohol. It’s been a love/hate (mostly hate, if I am being honest with you) relationship. For those people that follow my somewhat inconsistent blog you probably are aware of this, whether we have discussed it together or not. And to those of you that don’t know me, here is a small glimpse into my decision to give up alcohol for a year.