The modern world can certainly feel overwhelming, especially for those with fast-paced lives. It’s no surprise that many turn to alcohol for support during tough times, to celebrate, or just because they feel like it. Unfortunately, this culture of alcohol consumption is often portrayed as cool, thanks to the influential and financially powerful alcohol industry.
Despite facing these challenges, there are individuals who are giving us hope, dedicated to fighting against social injustices and supporting others to take on a positive life journey. Today, we are honored to introduce you to one such inspiring person, Challaine, who has encountered her own share of difficulties but has risen above them as a true hero.
Imagine a journey from a 20-year battle with alcohol abuse to a life of sobriety and empowerment—this is Challaine’s remarkable story. As a #1 Best Selling Author, Sobriety Leader, and Coach, Challaine has made it her life’s work to help others find their path to sobriety. Her transformation from rock bottom to becoming a leading voice in the sobriety movement is nothing short of inspiring. Today, with this interview, we will dig deeper into her story, uncovering her motivations, her struggles, and her unwavering mission to change lives for the better.
Your book, “I Woke Up One Day & Changed My F*cking Mind,” has touched many lives. What was the writing process like for you, and how did it help in your recovery journey?
The writing process was extremely easy for me actually. I have always been a writer and excelled in school with my creative endeavours. I did however suppress this part of me for over a decade, as I was focused on building my companies and raising four children. I was living in survival mode with the help of alcohol as a means to “relax”. When I made the decision to get sober I immediately started writing and it exploded quickly into ten thousand words… twenty thousand words and then just kept going until I was over eighty thousand words. Writing was cathartic and medicinal for me. Not only was writing a tool I used to express my emotions and traumas, it was also used to help keep me focused on my goal- which unbeknownst to me when I started, was to finally write the book that has been sitting inside me for so many years. The words didn’t come from me, they sort of came through me in a sense. There was no stopping it. I wanted to write a book for over a decade. I got sober and it took me 91 days.
You mentioned reaching rock bottom several times before achieving lasting sobriety. What was different about the last time that made you commit to change?
The last night I drank, I was seriously considering suicide so I didn’t have to face my life anymore. I had never contemplated anything like that before. Somewhere though, within my inebriation I was so shocked that these thoughts would even come to my mind. Not only would my children be without a mother, but I would be without them. I wasn’t ready for that.
I knew that something would have to change immediately in order to stop the negativity in my mind. The one external factor that I did have control of was my alcohol consumption. It was time! At the very least I had to give it a try. When I’m asked why I quit drinking, my response is always the same; which happens to be the title to my new book “I Woke Up One Day & Changed My F*cking Mind.”
How has your background as a fitness coach and holistic nutritionist influenced your approach to sobriety coaching and helping others?
I absolutely loved my clients over the fifteen years that I was training and guiding them through their own personal journeys of change and recovery. I wasn’t just with teaching nutrition and exercise. I was their trainer, therapist, nutritionist, confidante, friend and life coach. I was trusted with their rock bottoms, their hurts and their goals and together we were able to get them to reach unimaginable milestones.
I was so focused on my clients and their successes that I didn’t work on myself as a holistic being, which ultimately ended up hindering my personal growth. Now, I’ve walked the walk, so from my personal experience of living as one may consider a “functioning alcoholic”, wanting to end my life and reaching incredible goals in such a short period of time, along with my experience of helping others do the same- the transition from personal training to sobriety coaching has been seamless.
You focus on helping women, particularly mothers, who are struggling with “mommy wine” culture. Why do you think this demographic is especially vulnerable to alcohol dependence?
Now I’m only speaking on what I am familiar with here as I am a women and a mother, but there’s this whole epidemic of “mommy needs wine” to “girls weekends” or “girls trips” where the intention is that women go off with other women to get drunk, to let lose and forget about their problems at home which I now believe is completely ridiculous.
My problems at home were directly related to my alcohol use and abuse. Hindsight is always 20/20, isn’t it? Why are we trying to run away from the life we are building? Why are we trying to run away from our children? Why are we trying to be the “perfect” parent? Well here’s the quick answer. Stop wasting your time because you are perfect the way you are without alcohol. Our children love us unconditionally, but we have to put in the real work to show up for them authentically without suppressing who we really are by using substances.
Why are we so focused on the end goal, to reach a major milestone? When in reality those milestones are never promised. It’s the right here and right now that matter the most.
Children are so impressionable and soak in so much of what is taught to them in the home. If we think about adults now, so many of us have childhood traumas, many of which are related to family members drinking. I certainly remember almost every occasion when there was alcohol around when I was little. It’s time to stop the generational traumas. It starts with making the decision to not pick up the booze after work, to say no to events that are serving alcohol, to say no to drunken weekends.
We as a culture need to set boundaries and begin to feel comfortable saying “no”. If history has lessons then we know the morning after the night before drinking will always be the same. If you want to change your life, then you have to change your life! Easier said than done, I know! That’s why I have committed this next chapter of my life to helping my peers, because there is always a way out!
Your “Secrets to Sobriety” course has been transformative for many. Can you describe the key principles behind this course and how it differs from traditional recovery programs?
Without giving away all of my secrets, it’s imperative to know a few key things you can do right now in order to live the life you have always wanted, without alcohol.
#1 You need to get serious about your goals and work on them every single day! You need to get serious about your life with the same seriousness you give alcohol.
#2 Clean up your social media! Have you ever heard the saying “You become the sum of the top five people you surround yourself with?” When I got sober, I muted/deleted all of the accounts that portrayed a party lifestyle or “mommy wine culture” and I also do not like or comment on any posts that I see that promote this. I now only have change, growth, sobriety, positive mindset accounts filling my feed. These are the constant daily reminders and support that I need in my life.
#3 Understand that “No” is a complete sentence. That you need to make your sobriety a priority for your mental health along with physical well-being. It’s ok to decline events that are alcohol focused. You are busy! You have things to do that are in line and congruent with the life you want for yourself, and being around alcohol doesn’t support that.
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