What's Next For You After You Go Alcohol-Free

By Karolina Rzadkowolska

You’ve taken a break from alcohol and feel amazing. In fact, it’s one of the best things you’ve ever done. The weeks keep stacking until you reach one month, two months, three months, and you keep getting happier, more confident, and braver to start re-evaluating other areas of your life.

What's next for me? You may be thinking . . .

Am I truly happy and satisfied in my career?
Are my relationships where I want them to be?
Who do I want to be friends with in my life?
Do I want more connections?
How can I share more love and make an impact?
How can I have more growth in my life?

Changing your relationship with alcohol is kind of like stepping outside of the matrix and realizing that the status quo doesn’t serve you. And you get brave to ask yourself, does the status quo serve me in other ways in my life? Instead of living in your comfort zone, you get empowered to find fulfillment and meaning outside of it.

One of my favorite quotes (by Tony Robbins) is that life happens for us, not to us. Meaning that everything that’s brought you here to this junction is happening for your growth. Things are unfolding for you for a reason. Remember to have faith over fear, lean in to this process, and have trust over doubt.

If you’ve been living alcohol-free for a few months and starting to feel these deeper questions arising in your heart, I have some tips for you.

Find your dreams

The first place I noticed I wasn’t living my dream life was easy—my career. A lot of the women I work with point to their careers as the source of much of their stress and discontent. While my job in higher education wasn’t that bad, I was living out an old pattern of trudging through the week not being able to wait for the weekend to arrive. The weekend so I could finally drink. I was literally wishing my life away to get to each weekend.

At some point, I had to ask myself why? Why am I not being fulfilled in what I'm doing? Is this nine to five my true calling? My intuition had a loud clear answer. Hell no. I had big dreams that I had put on the someday burner a long time ago. I wanted to be an author. A thought leader. My own boss. Someone with a freedom lifestyle who traveled. Someone who made a radical impact in the lives of others. I knew I was made for so much more than I was doing.

And while all of this may have seemed like a pipe dream to me while I was drinking, suddenly it dawned on me that I had the power to create this lifestyle for myself. If I just believed that it was possible and took each baby step forward, I could have this dream.

The very first step is simple but not easy. Allow yourself to dream big and figure out what it is you want. You don’t have to know the exact particulars or “how” you’ll get there, just let yourself imagine your ideal lifestyle.

Find the tools and strategy to go after your dreams

Ok, now that you have some clarity, I bet there are a lot of resources out there to help you get from point A to point B. Think about it. If just one person on the planet has achieved what you want, you know it’s possible and that success leaves clues. If you want to write a book for example, the first step is so much easier than you think. Start an outline and start writing. Once you take one baby step, the universe has an uncanny way of showing you what the next one is. Maybe it’s researching book proposals or how to get an agent. Or maybe it’s new skills you need to go after your dream. Start by making a list of 10 things you can do to get closer to your goal and don’t be afraid to start the first one today.

Trust the Journey

Trust me, your dreams won’t come true in a few months, or maybe even a few years. As Tony Robbins says, we overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what we can do in a decade. Have trust and faith that you are being guided on a new journey—a journey of growth and fulfillment. It’s really not about the goals or your dream attainment, it’s who you become in the process. Each new milestone you hit, each act outside your comfort zone will build up your confidence and self-esteem. And one day soon, you’ll be living a radical departure from your previous life. Whether that’s because you launched a business, wrote a book, started a meetup to make new friends, or started traveling more.

Progress is one of the top human needs—and maybe that’s why drinking used to be so painful. It’s the epitome of being stuck.

If you find yourself stuck again, just know the answer isn’t that far off. Immerse yourself in nature, in a moment of stillness and solitude, and once again turn to your intuition to lead you towards the next right step. She got you here and prompted you to take a break from alcohol. She is here for you again.

I’m obsessed with helping newly alcohol-free women discover and achieve their biggest dreams.

If you’d like to get support in realizing your biggest dreams and the baby steps you need to achieve them, I’m your coach!

If you're ready to affirm your new alcohol-free identity and go after your biggest dreams, let's talk about how VIP coaching can get you there. Book a free discovery session here.