EP05 Celebrating the Holiday Season Sober

Lindsay and Abby break down how they used to cope during the holiday season using their addictions compared to today in their sobriety. Lindsay’s Takeaways: –Generational traumas and family patterning triggers and how she will use nicotine and food to regulate and suppress her nervous system. –Her inner child sometimes gets triggered with interactions with her father. She will use suppression and shame when she is easily angered. Now instead of alcohol she will, at times, use nicotine and sugar to suppress the anger and shame. –Journey of integrating the playful and carefree parts that used to come out when she was drinking into her sober self she is today. –How she navigates telling those in her family who do not know she is sober but how she is lovingly accepted as a sober person in her family. Abby’s Takeaways: –There is a lot of alcohol addiction on her paternal side and most of the maternal side does not drink but there is a lot of fracture on this side. –She used to use alcohol and nicotine as suppression methods but now she will use sugar and television as coping mechanisms. –She has cultivated a soul family or chosen family since she has gotten sober. –Some of Abby’s family has done transformational work and how she was witnessed in her feelings and how helpful that was to have some of the family be there for her. Both Lindsay and Abby hope to change the holiday season to Dry November or December, instead of Dry January and Sober October. Going deeper with family through connection instead of excessive gift exchanging. And finally, how sobriety gives you a choice: a choice to celebrate holidays differently or a choice in who surrounds you and loves you. It doesn’t always have to look a certain way. Follow us on Instagram @empoweredsobrietypodcast and email us at empoweredsobrietypodcast@gmail.com for comments or questions. We would love it if you could take the time to leave us a rating and review!! If you’d like to be coached by us or to be a guest, please email us!