Chin Up and Carry On
Chin Up and Carry On
Vol. 12: A Weekly Love Note
Well hello lovely reader! It’s me, your faithful messy bun wearing weekly writer, Jess. For those of you new around here - it’s my mission to slip a little note your way every week, filled with topics related to embracing a sober lifestyle, motherhood, running, God, homeschooling, and more!
Decidedly Dry is a free weekly newsletter. If you absolutely love reading it and want access to a library of archived posts, additional tips and tools, and more, consider being a paid subscriber. You can also share snippets of today’s note from Jess on social media, forward it to someone who might benefit, or text it to a friend. Thanks again for being here.
Well here we are my friends… 2024! I hope your holidays were glorious, your New Year’s Eve/Day felt magical, and that you’re staying true to the intentions you’ve set.
For those of you feeling like you’re starting over, either because you drank when you planned not to, or simply because you feel like you’re so far away from where you want to be, I’d like to give you a few reminders:
Everything you do is part of your journey and each chapter makes your story uniquely yours. This includes your wins and your losses, your successes and your challenges. When we have setbacks, and trust me - we’ve ALL had them, the three most important things you can do is; 1) Forgive yourself, 2) Find the Lesson, and 3) Keep Trying.
Removing alcohol isn’t simply a box you check and move on. I hate to break it to ya sister, but for most, it takes constant work. This is neither an easy nor a straightforward process. There’ll be days you’re beating yourself up, ready to throw in the towel, and are just genuinely mad. You’ll question if it’s worth it, if it ever gets easier, if alcohol was really “that bad".
However.
This is a beautiful opportunity. An opportunity to look at how and why alcohol is showing up in our lives. It’s a chance to really evaluate where you have fun, who you actually like being with, what you truly enjoy doing, and more. We get to learn about ourselves, show up as our authentic self, and slowly discover just how wonderful a life can be without alcohol.
So I guess what I’m trying to say, is if you’ve already had a slip, or if you’re simply struggling with this change - know you’re not alone. A brand new day lies before you and just imagine how proud you’ll be if you keep going. If this was the time you didn’t give up and you kept this life-changing promise to yourself.
Always cheering for you,
Jess
Newest Episodes on Decidedly Dry:
Before I started my annual social media sabbatical and wrapped up our current season of Decidedly Dry, there were some pretty amazing episodes published and I’d love to share them with YOU!
Episode #85: Rethinking Alcohol: How Attempting to Cut Back Finally Led to Quitting Drinking for Good w/Paige Zapata
Paige has been alcohol-free since September of 2021. She was born and raised in Texas, is the mother of two young-adult daughters, has had a career in banking for nearly 28 years and her hobbies include reading, watching movies, and honestly, she just loves being a homebody. Today she’s sharing her sober story and explains how there’s kind of 2 parts to her story: the attempts at cutting back; and then actually quitting for good. Oof, man do I feel that! I totally remember thinking I could simply moderate instead of quitting all together. I could totally be a “normal drinker”. Turns out it was more exhausting and utterly impossible to moderate. It’s like that saying, “If you can’t just have one, have none.”
Episode #86: How Sobriety Delivered Self-Trust, Confidence, and Love w/Shelby John
Shelby is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice where she specializes in trauma, addiction, and anxiety. With years of experience in the field, she founded Shelby John Coaching and is the happy host of the Confident Sober Women podcast. After getting sober she became a fresh, authentic voice in the sobriety space, showing women how to build confidence and love their lives beyond recovery. Shelby is the mother to three, the wife to her high school sweetheart, and has been sober since July 1, 2002.
Rebecca Dollard is the momma, CEO, and coach behind The Motherhood Mentor and The Nourished CEO. She lives in Colorado with her hubs of 13yrs and their 2 kiddos. Becca is a somatic mind-body coach who works with leaders in healing spaces to lead and heal themselves. She specializes in somatic healing, somatic parts work, enneagram, emotional leadership and boundaries. (Our chat was so great, we had to split it into two episodes!)
We also hit a crazy amazing milestone: 100k podcast downloads!
Thank y’all for listening! It means more than you know.
Things I’m Digging:
Dry Drink I’m Sipping: My amazing friend Beth Ann of NOPE Beverages sent me some delicious NA drinks for the holidays. Thank you Beth Ann! My favorite flavor is the Mango Margarita with Jalapeño. Give it a try!
My God-Curious Journey: I’ve committed to reading the entire Bible this year! Care to join me? We’re following the Bible Recap plan. Check it out here.
Currently Listening To: A Tribute to The Judds album. So good! Reba, Rimes, Gwen ‘n’ Blake, and others honor the legacy. Give it a listen!
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