It’s been a few months since I stopped drinking. No rehab and no social media declaration. Just a quiet decision and a truthful acceptance that grew louder in its impact with each passing week.
Sobriety, for me, is about presence.
Striped cushions, gravel underfoot, the cool curve of a Coca Cola bottle in hand.
I often used to tell myself that I needed a drink to unwind, to be social, to be creative, to feel something. These reasons had weight because every reason was also a hole in my ship. From the exhaustion that trailed behind my nights out, the dense & heavy fog in my head, the emotional spikes pricklier than a cactus, the sense of being slightly off-centre even on the days I wasn’t drinking. These are some of the feelings I would experience.
What I’ve discovered instead is a different rhythm of living. I listen more, I rest better, my mind is ever-stocked with acuity, my mornings are gentler, my intuition grows more vivid by the day.
I’ve reclaimed parts of my personality that alcohol had slowly eroded.
Listening to a cosmic exploration of vinyl music at Hue Café by the Septober Energy Collective.
It’s not about alcohol.
It’s about remembering who I am without the numbing and the blur. Sobriety isn’t always sexy. It doesn’t make you the life of the party but it gives you back your mornings.
People watching, letting the evening unfurl itself.
No buzz. No escape. Just me, fully present. A simple life of sobriety.
And for now, that’s more than enough.
I wanted to be loose and five months later I am now lighter.
About Vincent Zondo
Who is this Vincent that took photos of me minding my own business? 🙂
Vincent is the Head of Strategy at DNA Brand Architects and has worked with prominent fashion brands and publications, including GQ South Africa, Glamour and WANTED magazine.
It would be amiss of you not to check him out – https://www.instagram.com/style.geist/