sleep
“I don’t know if I ever had an addiction, although
I do know that I struggled when I tried to stop
drinking. I started when I was a teenager, and
at first it was just weekend drinking, but it soon
built up. I’d go through stages where I’d stop for
a while and try to be healthier but old habits
soon crept back in.
“After I split from my husband, I moved back
in with my parents and then to my own home.
I had never really lived alone and I found it quite
difficult. Once I’d put my two kids to bed, a bottle
of wine would help me de-stress. I’d fall asleep
heavily at about 10pm, but only for about three
hours and then I’d be wide awake.
"A lot of the time I couldn’t get back to sleep –
and if I finally did, it wouldn’t be until 4 or 5 in the
morning. When I woke up at around 6.30am
with the kids, I’d be in a horrible mood. I was
snappy and irritable all the time, and I felt like
I was taking it out on my children. I felt mentally
drained and the tiredness from the lack of sleep
was overwhelming. It was making me anxious,
depressed and miserable, and so I decided to
make a change, with the help of Aggie.
“The first few days I was worried about how
I was going to deal with it and I struggled going
to bed. With the wine, I’d be flat out in minutes
but suddenly I found myself listening to every
noise in the house, and looking out the window
for ages.
"That didn’t last long, though, and within
about two weeks of giving up I was going to bed
between 9.30 and 10pm and sleeping through
till about 6am in the morning. I felt like a new
woman – and it’s helped my self-esteem too.
I now haven’t touched alcohol since May 2019
and it’s been the best thing I’ve ever done.”
*Name has been changed“I used to wake up at 1am every morning”
Lucy*, 34, used alcohol as a way to cope with feelings of anxiety, stress, low self-esteem
and a lack of confidence. Here, she tells us how stopping made her feel so much stronger –
and helped her sleeping patterns...
Falling asleep without the
'help' of alcohol helps us to
wake up feeling rested,
refreshed and ready
to start the day.