I ran into an old friend the other day. She was surprised when I reached for a non-alcoholic drink instead of a beer or cooler for my after golf beverage. I let her know that I don’t drink anymore, and had quit in March of 2020. She told me she had quit as well.
This may not seem like a big deal to those of you who haven’t grown up around a culture of drinking and partying, but for us, it’s a pretty big deal.
We both grew up in a small Northern Ontario mining town. Drinking, bars, partying, alcohol was just part of the culture. I was in my teens in the 70’s and I remember many weekends where us kids would find a bottle, or some beer and just get wasted. So many weekends were spent with a bunch of us, or just a couple of us, drinking and looking for a party or for something exciting to happen.
When I think back on those times, I’m surprised we all survived it. I was a pretty shy kid, and I still am a shy person. I think drinking was a crutch I leaned on to help me feel like I was fitting in, to help bring me out of myself and feel more comfortable in social situations. And most of the other kids were drinking too, so I didn’t really feel like I was doing anything that wrong. Anyway, the point is, alcohol was part of my life for a long time. Family get togethers all included lots of food, music and drinking. It was a big part of our family culture, actually, still is.
When I finally decided to stop drinking alcohol, it was about three weeks after my father had passed away. We had my sister and her husband over for dinner and we had wine with dinner. I drank a lot of wine as we sat there after supper, talking and reminiscing. The next morning I woke up with a terrible hangover. I was so sick, and had a pounding headache, and I thought, “What the hell am I doing? I’m 58 years old and still letting myself get so drunk that I am sick the next day? This is stupid.”
I know I was grieving, and feeling very justified in having several glasses of wine. That has been my conditioned way of coping with things for years. But I wanted to do better from now on. I wanted to be better...healthier... stronger...more clear-headed. I wanted to be someone my husband, my kids and grandchildren could be proud of. And mostly, I wanted to be better for me.
I had been using Young Living essential oils for about 8 years at that time, and sharing my love of the products with people in my circle. I used them for everything, every day and they really helped me, so it seemed more than a little bit disingenuous to be drinking as much as I was while I was promoting a healthy lifestyle with essential oils and non-toxic products.
I wasn’t living into my values, and it just felt wrong. I felt ashamed of myself. I was sad, for sure. I mean, my Dad was a very important part of my life, and I missed him. But using alcohol as a way of coping wasn’t making me feel any better. It just made me feel worse.
So, I stopped drinking. I just decided enough was enough. I figured I would just try not drinking for a week or so and see how I felt. I used my oils to help me breathe through the sadness, the anxious feelings I was experiencing, the sleeplessness. I used my oils, and I started walking everyday.
I should also mention that my Dad passed away on February 25th, 2020. On March 14, the pandemic shut down all non-essential services, so that just added an extra level of stress and worry on top of an already stressful time in our lives.
But I was determined to stick to my promise to myself. A week without alcohol turned into two weeks, then a month, then two months. My family was worried about me. I told them I was just taking a break from drinking. When we were finally allowed to get together in person again, I didn’t have any beer or wine, just water or tea. They thought something was wrong with me, that I had some kind of health issue I hadn’t told them about or something. There were discussions between my sisters wondering what was going on with me.
I assured them that I was fine, that I just didn’t want to drink anymore. I was trying to get healthy, and not use alcohol to cope with my grief. I was going to just choose healthier options, like breathing in my essential oils, walking, calling a friend to chat, getting hug from my husband. I think they may have been skeptical, but they let it go. After a while, maybe a year or so after I quit, they just stopped offering me alcohol when we got together.
Meanwhile, as time went on, I started feeling better. Not waking up foggy headed every day was a huge bonus. It’s amazing how much better I sleep now! Being clear headed and feeling healthier helped me focus on all the things I needed to do leading up to my retirement at my workplace. It made the transition smoother and easier to handle.
Today is September 16th, 2025 and it’s been 5 years and a little over 6 months since I quit drinking. I’m feeling pretty proud of myself. I’m happy I made the decision to quit. I actually wish I had done it sooner, but better late than never I guess.
I think I was lucky that I had already been using Young Living essential oils for years before deciding to quit drinking. It meant I already had some tools in my toolbox to help me navigate through that difficult time. I knew what I needed to do…I just needed to do it. And walking every day brought lots of benefits, including helping to regulate my emotions, and helping me to get stronger physically too!
Life is a journey, and this is part of mine. I’ve been sharing my love of these essential oils for years now, but leaving out this very significant part of my story. So now you know. Everyone has a story, everyone is going through their own personal struggles. For me, the decision to quit drinking opened me up to new possibilities for my life, And for that, I am eternally grateful.
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