On August 18th, 2019, I celebrated my seven years of Sobriety!

HELL YES! I love this day and think that you should celebrate your sobriety, but on your sober birthday, it's that much sweeter.

Every year I am humbled on this day.  To see where my life was to where my life now is a complete 180.  

The one change I made to my life compounded into the life I have always wanted.

As each year passes, I continue to learn and grow as a person.  I love it.  I wanted to share seven tips to with you that have helped in my recovery journey this far.

This journey is not comfortable, but one that is so worth it. 

Watch the link below to learn these seven tips.

https://vimeo.com/358088348/1ed791880e

I hope this helps you and I'm always here if you need me!

Don't forget to join my weekly newsletter to stay connected.

Sober Not Boring, 

Courtney

Sober in Mexico!

I had some anxiety doing this trip solo, as in not having my husband with me or a sober pal. Last time I was in Mexico I had all the tequila and mind erasers in the world. I didn’t know how sober Mexico would look with just me being around people who did part take in drinking. Not everyone who drinks has a problem and I made a decision 2 years into my recovery I wasn’t going to FEAR alcohol anymore. Yes, tons of uncomfortable feelings pushing thru a fear but it has to be done if you want the life you had imagined for yourself. Traveling for me is on top of that list. If I continue to fear booze, my circle and life would be very, very small. I want to see and live the world and alcohol is everywhere. There is no escaping it. I’m grateful for the friends in my life who do participate in drinking that always make sure I’m comfortable and ok! Love the ladies I’m with on this trip and appreciate the vibes

Again, you have to be ready with...

Confessions of an Emotional Eater

Since getting sober on August 18th, 2012, another problem surfaced to the top of my life, and that is one of emotional eating. OR eating my feelings is what I like to call it.  Insert long Sigh.

I want to clarify before I continue, I do not believe I have a FOOD ADDICTION.  I can stop eating and stay pretty consistent with eating healthy. 

I noticed the emotional eating thing for sure that the first year of my sobriety, I pretty much just ate to cope and gave myself grace as the "the itch' for alcohol would come to haunt me every night past the hours of 5 pm.  This too happens in recovery, when you get Sober, your mind and body crave sugar.  Remember alcohol is sugar, and so if you are drinking every day, you are feeding not only your alcohol addiction but now a sugar addiction. 

MY first year goes by, eat my feelings then get to a point around my one-year sober birthday and feel gross and ready to take on the vision I...

KISS me I’m SOBER

In my first two years of recovery, I went through a lot of emotions, and being angry at Alcohol was one of them and any holiday associated with it. Totes standard if you feel some rage towards it. It has/had/did/still destroy so many of our lives, but we also continued/continue to ruin our lives by continuing the cycle.

After grieving the life I once had and waking up to my new routine, I did see that I could no longer be a judgmental prick towards it.

We live in a booze-filled culture, and it’s our job to figure out how we are going to live in it. From restaurants, gas stations, t-shirts at Target being marketed towards young women to the stuff sitting in cabinets at our homes. It’s everywhere.

I went back to bartending to get out of my miserable 9-5 and start pursuing my entrepreneurial dream. Also going back for me meant not FEARING alcohol. It’s in my hands four days a week, and I don’t ever have a moment of wanting to use —...

Being a child of the eighties, I grew up with the constant media telling and showing you that the Supermodel look is what you should strive for, Crawford, Campbell, McPherson, Schiffer and then rolling into the nineties with the heroin sheik look.

Well, I fell into that trap of believing that’s what it took to feel beautiful, loved and enough. As someone who has always struggled with weight issues since I was a little girl, I did gain a huge complex. At one point of time in my early twenties, I would work out an hour a day and eat one meal a day because I thought that’s what it took to feel pretty, loved and good enough at a cool 120 pounds.

Now I say at 36 years old, fuck you to the media and instilling all those years of what pretty should be(which they still do to this day) but I know better now because I’ve put work into myself and to gain my own independence of what “pretty” means. For me, 150 pounds eating 3 huge meals(clean Whole Foods)a day with...

Lets support one another in the recovery community rather then letting each other know what the best way to recover is. For some support groups work, for some therapy works, for some more holistic practices work, for some online groups work and the list goes on.

It’s 2019 and the best thing about the time we currently live in, is that there are so many options for support and HELP! Which is amazing. Something that works for you doesn’t work for others which is OK, people should be listening to each other rather than inserting opinions.

Be open-minded and understanding that this journey is not a one size fits all. It’s on that person to walk their own path and figure out what works for them.

Instead of telling people they aren’t going to make it sober because they didn’t do(fill in the blanks) How about we say, “awesome job on your recovery and man that is badass that you are 5, 100, 500 days sober!” We all need support and someone to be our...

Dear Booze,

I love you, but I HAD to let you go.

You were my best friend for a decade. We did and saw so much together. This relationship once was so light-hearted and fun but soon turned into the darkness. Leaving me empty promises and a cycle I just could not let go of because I couldn’t let you go. You had me at first sip, every single time.

You have caused me much grief in my life, and I can’t have this toxic love affair anymore. I wake up heartbroken with a world of shame and guilt that takes over my soul, leaving me with thoughts and feelings of wanting to die. I don’t understand why when I feel like this after having many nights together. I always come back, and it doesn’t matter how bad you were to me. When will I learn? I need to walk away, I have tried over and over again to change the dynamics of this relationship, but I always come back to this same place. You are beyond intoxicating with a hint of glamour, and I hate that you have this pull on...

LISTEN HERE

Episode 13 of our @realalignedwomen podcast is out today and we talk all about my Infertility journey. This episode is near and dear to my heart, I get Real and Raw with this one. For those of you who are struggling in silence. Don’t. It’s to much to go through alone. I went through all the stages of grief with this and have finally come to a place of peace and 2018 was my year for that. There was one blog I wrote years back describing my journey and mentally I have come along way since then.  Hope you enjoy!

XOXO,

CMA

When I got sober all my problems didn't just stop, the act of quitting drinking was easier then dealing with all the emotions I buried deep.  I legit had to start adulting and dealing.  In my recovery I developed a little spending problem..oh my! Where there is one addiction, don't be surprised if two more pop up. 

For sure shopping became my way to feel better.  Having a bad day, good day, emotional day  I would shop!!  It became the norm for the first two years of my recovery.  Which now I am happy to have gone through it because I learned. 

Fast Forward to the last year and a half, I have really been focusing on changing my relationship around with money and been working on Dave Ramsey, Baby steps.  I've gotten myself out of some debt following these steps and have felt more in control of all my money and finances.  I share this with you because you could be sitting there drowning in debt and have no clue of where to...

It is Tuesday so I have to share this Transformation..

For me the biggest transformation I have had in my life was the day I chose to stop the madness and cycle of addiction.  I could of continued of course BUT I finally listened to my soul which it was telling me at 24 to stop. 

I didn't listen, obvi. I went thru 1,000 rock bottoms and it was finally time when I lost my cat for the second time and my then boyfriend was telling me "you can continue drinking but I'm not sticking around to continue this ride with you."

So at 29, I said I was done and that was my final rock bottom.

Are you wondering, do you need a rock bottom to quit drinking? 

The answer is simply, NO! 

You sure don't you can stop before shit gets worse. 

My friend Lori Massicot and Real Aligned Women partner sat down recently and discussed all of this on her podcast To 50 and Beyond!  We get real here.

At one point I had to say this is all coming from a place of love because I'm so...