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97: Sober Curious? Rethink Your Drinking Without Shame or Pressure · The Everyday Awesome Project

• 0:26
  Samantha Pruitt: Hello, beautiful humans.
• 0:28
  Samantha Pruitt: Coach Sam here today.
• 0:30
  Samantha Pruitt: Sober Curiosity is what we're going to explore together this week, aka the sober curious movement, that UK author Ruby Warrington coined in 2018 with her book.
• 0:45
  Samantha Pruitt: So this may be new to many of you.
• 0:48
  Samantha Pruitt: So first let me give you a definition of sober curious.
• 0:53
  Samantha Pruitt: This is a movement that encourages people to reflect on the role alcohol and drugs play in their life.
• 1:01
  Samantha Pruitt: Being sober curious means being mindful of these habits and choosing when or if to drink and use instead of doing so out of habit or to meet social expectations.
• 1:16
  Samantha Pruitt: The sober curious movement aims to challenge drinking and drug use culture and norms, improve physical and mental health and well-being, create sustainable, less risky alcohol and drug habits.
• 1:37
  Samantha Pruitt: So, why am I sharing this?
• 1:40
  Samantha Pruitt: Because I personally got motivated to back down on my own alcohol consumption when I started having health problems in my gut and in my skin, and upon my generally well-managed anxiety, and truthfully, even in my beloved sports performance.
• 2:04
  Samantha Pruitt: Well, okay, shit.
• 2:06
  Samantha Pruitt: Basically, this stuff gets everywhere in your body and brain.
• 2:09
  Samantha Pruitt: So who am I kidding?
• 2:11
  Samantha Pruitt: Even in small and socially acceptable doses, alcohol and drugs alter and affect everything about you on a cellular level.
• 2:21
  Samantha Pruitt: And I care so deeply about my health, my brain and body cells.
• 2:27
  Samantha Pruitt: Why was I doing this behavior?
• 2:30
  Samantha Pruitt: I was curious.
• 2:32
  Samantha Pruitt: In fact, collectively, millions of us have decided to tolerate these negative impacts.
• 2:39
  Samantha Pruitt: And sometimes we do this with food or other detrimental actions and behaviors as well.
• 2:45
  Samantha Pruitt: So I think that's why this sober curious movement has really taken off.
• 2:51
  Samantha Pruitt: Intellectually, it doesn't make any sense what we're doing.
• 2:55
  Samantha Pruitt: So when I recently was healing my small intestine infection that I developed during swimming in open water for the Iron Man last year, I decided to look at every possible contributing factor to my declining health.
• 3:08
  Samantha Pruitt: Again, I got curious.
• 3:11
  Samantha Pruitt: Today I want you to come with me on this journey and consider this an invitation to be curious as well.
• 3:17
  Samantha Pruitt: So here's what I'm doing on my own personal sober curious journey.
• 3:23
  Samantha Pruitt: First off, I started paying attention.
• 3:27
  Samantha Pruitt: When, how much, how often, and then why was I even craving a drink and then participating in drinking?
• 3:38
  Samantha Pruitt: Do this mindfully and without judgment.
• 3:43
  Samantha Pruitt: That is really important here.
• 3:45
  Samantha Pruitt: Just pay attention.
• 3:47
  Samantha Pruitt: This is not about shaming or creating more, you know, negative emotions around this thing that you might be doing or participating in or consuming.
• 3:58
  Samantha Pruitt: Do this mindfully and without judgment, but become aware.
• 4:02
  Samantha Pruitt: That was the first step.
• 4:05
  Samantha Pruitt: Now that I have a simple awareness of all that, it was time to consider the impacts of this substance or this behavior on my time, my energy, my focus, my success or lack thereof, my relationships, my mental and physical health.
• 4:29
  Samantha Pruitt: That's a lot to look at.
• 4:32
  Samantha Pruitt: These things impact all of those and more.
• 4:37
  Samantha Pruitt: So let's take a breath here.
• 4:41
  Samantha Pruitt: It's highly likely in doing this exercise that you will discover some things you are not stoked about.
• 4:48
  Samantha Pruitt: I know I did.
• 4:49
  Samantha Pruitt: You may get sad, you may get pissed off, you may get overwhelmed.
• 4:54
  Samantha Pruitt: But here's the thing: those emotions may come naturally to you, but they are not helpful.
• 5:02
  Samantha Pruitt: Shame and blame, powerlessness, those are all traps to keep you stuck in this behavior, in this pattern, in this habit, in this cycle.
• 5:14
  Samantha Pruitt: Try hard to look at this from above your life, from the vantage point of the fact that we all live in a society where all of these behaviors are socially acceptable, and we are all pressured by the media to be part of this dysfunctional world, use these things or these behaviors as coping mechanisms, as a way to really survive.
• 5:38
  Samantha Pruitt: We're all part of that freaking hamster wheel.
• 5:41
  Samantha Pruitt: Additionally, depending on your circumstances and background, there can be countless reasons you have developed this dysfunctional coping skill.
• 5:50
  Samantha Pruitt: That's also not to say that I'm green-lighting these things, and I surely am not doing that for myself.
• 6:00
  Samantha Pruitt: From this bigger picture vantage point, it is proven that mind-altering substances, whether they are legal or not, are not good for your health.
• 6:12
  Samantha Pruitt: You can then be honest with yourself about all of these outcomes and whether you feel this is working for you or not.
• 6:21
  Samantha Pruitt: That's what I did.
• 6:23
  Samantha Pruitt: Without judgment, shame, and blame, is this working for me?
• 6:27
  Samantha Pruitt: Is this getting me the results I want?
• 6:29
  Samantha Pruitt: How is this making me feel?
• 6:31
  Samantha Pruitt: Why am I doing this?
• 6:33
  Samantha Pruitt: Again, no judgment.
• 6:36
  Samantha Pruitt: Awareness and an honest conversation is what we're talking about here.
• 6:41
  Samantha Pruitt: For me, since the health of my mind and body are literally my number one personal value, then upon reading the latest scientific research, it was an easy conclusion that the intake of any alcohol was detrimental to my number one personal value, my mind and body's health.
• 7:02
  Samantha Pruitt: No matter how I sliced it, this product and this habit was stealing my mind and body's hard-earned health and performance.
• 7:12
  Samantha Pruitt: Truth.
• 7:14
  Samantha Pruitt: Looking around, I questioned the social norms around these often unhealthy behaviors as well.
• 7:20
  Samantha Pruitt: And I was able to shine a light on society's deep need for connection as a driving force of these behaviors.
• 7:28
  Samantha Pruitt: Connection to the self and to others.
• 7:32
  Samantha Pruitt: But I think it's important for each of us individually to get to the root of our own motivation and then have an honest conversation with ourselves about whether this substance or behavior is actually helping us or harming us from achieving what we long for.
• 7:49
  Samantha Pruitt: I know that addiction of substances and behaviors as a spectrum, it's not black and white.
• 7:59
  Samantha Pruitt: In order to be able to have hard conversations about this with ourselves and others, we need to shed the destructive shame that hides these behaviors in the shadows.
• 8:10
  Samantha Pruitt: We also need to accept that it's okay to experiment with less, with none, or to simply reestablish our relationship completely with the substance and behavior under our own terms.
• 8:25
  Samantha Pruitt: Sometimes we can do that on our own, and sometimes we need help.
• 8:30
  Samantha Pruitt: Out of curiosity, I took my own journey into a recovery dharma meeting.
• 8:36
  Samantha Pruitt: I've been studying Buddhism for the last year, and so much of it resonates with me.
• 8:42
  Samantha Pruitt: I'm loving it.
• 8:43
  Samantha Pruitt: And in doing my research, I found my way into this meditation-based and Buddhist teachings addiction recovery group.
• 8:51
  Samantha Pruitt: Though I didn't feel it was something I needed to participate on a regular basis to maintain sobriety, I have great appreciation and respect for the humans who choose this path, as well as any other traditional recovery programs.
• 9:06
  Samantha Pruitt: These things are amazing, and the work that's going on in these rooms is mind-blowing.
• 9:10
  Samantha Pruitt: I'm having lots of conversations with people and investigating programs where people are exploring and working towards sobriety, whether it is, again, a substance or an action, a behavior.
• 9:26
  Samantha Pruitt: It's crystal clear that finding support is the most valuable tool.
• 9:31
  Samantha Pruitt: Both substances and behaviors that are unhealthy can generate a great deal of physical and emotional suffering.
• 9:38
  Samantha Pruitt: Nobody should suffer alone, and every human can relate, either directly or indirectly, with this growing issue.
• 9:45
  Samantha Pruitt: I personally have experienced stuff in the past with myself and with loved ones that are in the struggle.
• 9:53
  Samantha Pruitt: There's no reason for any of us to feel shame around this.
• 9:58
  Samantha Pruitt: One of the things I decided to do was partner with a good friend who is a recovering addict, a liver transplant recipient, and an ultra-running badass, sober coach Kelly Thrush, good friend of mine.
• 10:12
  Samantha Pruitt: We decided to collaborate and create a free workbook for people who are on this journey and struggling with either substance abuse, and that can include food, by the way, or fighting against process-oriented unhealthy behaviors.
• 10:26
  Samantha Pruitt: While reestablishing and eliminating the behavior or substance from our lives, it's good to look for other resources that can generate natural endorphins too.
• 10:37
  Samantha Pruitt: Of course, this is coming from an endurance junkie and a lover of all things body movement.
• 10:45
  Samantha Pruitt: But there is also nature and art and human and humor, social bonding, mindfulness, and other healthy ways to tap into these endorphins.
• 10:56
  Samantha Pruitt: Curiously forward progress looks different for everybody.
• 11:04
  Samantha Pruitt: No judgment here.
• 11:06
  Samantha Pruitt: I mean, hello, the definition of curiosity is the strong desire to learn and know something.
• 11:12
  Samantha Pruitt: Ideally, about yourself.
• 11:15
  Samantha Pruitt: In conclusion, I really want to have you be empowered by this conversation.
• 11:22
  Samantha Pruitt: Sharing my personal experience, I hope you will maybe relate.
• 11:28
  Samantha Pruitt: Taking agency over your own mind and body, your own health requires awareness, reflection, consideration, education, empowerment.
• 11:42
  Samantha Pruitt: Reflect and get curious.
• 11:45
  Samantha Pruitt: Be honest and explore change.
• 11:49
  Samantha Pruitt: Be open with others and journal your thoughts and emotions in order to release these old ways that are no longer serving you.
• 11:56
  Samantha Pruitt: Be empowered to make your health, physical and mental, your highest priority.
• 12:04
  Samantha Pruitt: If you're ready to do the work of eliminating the substance or destructive behavior, dysfunctional relationships with your body weight or with substance abuse, health-related issues.
• 12:17
  Samantha Pruitt: If any of this is resonating with you, take a listen to episode 95 with Coach Kelly and I, where we introduce our free downloadable workbook.
• 12:26
  Samantha Pruitt: And you can also find a link to the workbook in our bio, our Instagram bio at EverydayAwesome Project or my personal Instagram, The Samantha Pruitt.
• 12:39
  Samantha Pruitt: If you want to explore more, the book Sober Curious by Ruby Warrington out of the UK and her podcast, Sober Curious, are great resources as well.
• 12:51
  Samantha Pruitt: All right, I hope you'll check out the free workbook.
• 12:53
  Samantha Pruitt: I hope you'll give some consideration to this Sober Curious movement and what this might look like for you.
• 13:00
  Samantha Pruitt: And remember, beautiful homeroons, how your life feels is more important than how it looks.
• 13:08
  Samantha Pruitt: And of course, stay curious.
• 13:12
  Samantha Pruitt: See you next time.