Mom of two young kids here. I also managed to do all the mom stuff while drinking: cook, clean, homework, bedtime routine, all of it, while drinking/getting drunk.

However, if the kids didn’t go to bed at their bedtime I lost my temper. I was downright mean because if they weren’t in bed, I couldn’t freely enjoy my excessive drinking and smoking routine. My poor kids suffered too much.

I routinely got drunk, raided the fridge, vomited, woke up at 3am in an anxiety fueled panic, crawled out of bed to get my day started and dragged my way through work. Every.single.day.

I haven’t felt this way since I stopped drinking 8 months ago. The benefits of sobriety are amazing and Jeep me going down this path. I have time, energy, and patience for my kids. I sleep through the night. I have a balanced diet. I am fully available and present at work and at home. I can’t even begin to imagine bringing alcohol back into my life....there is too much to lose.