25/06/2026
Twenty years ago today, I had my last drink.
Twenty years clean and sober.
As I sit with that today, I’m filled with gratitude. Not because the journey has been easy, but because it has been real.
Recovery, for me, was never simply about stopping drinking.
It became an invitation to learn an entirely new way of living.
A new way of relating to myself.
To my body.
To my emotions.
To other people.
To love.
I couldn’t keep living with the same beliefs, the same fears, the same coping strategies and expect a different life.
Over the years, I’ve had to question almost everything.
The ways I protected myself.
The ways I searched for approval.
The ways I abandoned myself to be accepted.
The stories I believed about who I was and what I deserved.
Many of those patterns weren’t flaws. They were intelligent adaptations. They helped me survive.
But survival and truly living are not the same thing.
One of the greatest gifts of these last twenty years has been discovering that healing isn’t about becoming someone else.
It’s about gently peeling away everything that no longer belongs, until you can finally meet yourself with honesty, compassion and love.
Looking back, I don’t just celebrate twenty years without alcohol.
I celebrate twenty years of choosing life.
Twenty years of learning.
Twenty years of falling down and getting back up.
Twenty years of becoming more authentic, more present, more open-hearted.
There are so many people who have walked alongside me on this journey—friends, family, teachers, mentors, fellow travellers in recovery, clients and students. Every one of you has shaped my life in ways you may never fully know.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
If you’re walking your own path of change—whatever that looks like—I hope you know this:
Real transformation is possible.
Not overnight.
Not perfectly.
But one honest choice, one courageous step, one day at a time.
With so much love and gratitude. ❤️
