Here's what I did to "escape" without wine...

In the early days of riding the waves of cravings, I, too, wanted to check out. I wanted to numb. I wanted to escape. 

And so here's what I did- 

Drumroll please.... 

I went to bed. 

Listen, I know this sounds easy, and if you're rolling your eyes while reading this, I get it. But in the early days of sobriety, I would take a melatonin around 8:30, and I'd go to bed. 

I would wake up at 5 AM feeling so good, ready to have a delicious cup of coffee and snuggle on the couch with my dog in my reading spot. 

Those early mornings became the highlight of my day instead of the wine-infused nights spent watching the same episode of Real Housewives over and over. 

I also found that going to bed early was a way of escaping the hard craving hours. In those early days, I didn't have the skills to sit with complex emotions as much as I do now (although I am 100% a work in progress, and this still requires significant patience and practice.) So, going to bed was a way of escaping in the early days. 

Going to bed also accomplishes a lot of other jobs that we assign to alcohol:

Looking for a reward at the end of the day? A good, deep sleep is a gift. 

Looking for rest/relaxation? Well, that's pretty self-explanatory. And a good night's sleep will pay dividends the next day. 

Coping with something hard? Everything feels more manageable after a good night's sleep. 

And good sleep was one of the biggest, immediate benefits I felt when I ditched booze. 

So when in doubt, my friend- GET IN BED. Shut those beautiful eyes. Dose yourself up with some melatonin or magnesium, and start dreaming again. 

Do you love sober sleep as much as I do?