The Share Shed: Writing Competition Entries

The Share Shed: Writing Competition Entries

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This Share Shed special from *Sober Awkward* hands the mic to the community, with Vic reading a powerful writing competition entry titled **"No More Numbing Out"** by Elise from Fort Worth, Texas. Instead of quick-fix inspiration, you'll hear a raw and honest account of 818 days alcohol-free that didn’t come with instant weight loss, glowing skin or permanent calm.

Elise talks frankly about feeling "pretty pissed off and bitter" about quitting, still craving that "cool pale glass of white wine" at every social event, and wondering why she couldn’t "drink like a normal person". What hits hardest is her realisation of what alcohol really cost her. Without the haze of booze, she faces the painful truth that decades of drinking damaged her closest relationships, especially with her daughters. "Alcohol wasn't my friend.

It was a liar that told me I needed a drink or an entire bottle in order to feel normal," she writes, summing up years of numbing and bad decisions. Rather than relying on willpower alone, Elise digs into the neuroscience of alcohol, learning how dopamine, anxiety and brain changes kept her stuck. Understanding the science becomes a practical tool that keeps her committed to staying alcohol-free.

A definition of recovery as "a process of change" finally gives her language that fits: yes, she’s in recovery, on her own terms. Vic’s warm, witty hosting style, plus her trademark humour (tea-snorting included), keeps the tone human and relatable, even as Elise talks about loss, amends and uncertain redemption.

This one will especially suit anyone who isn’t feeling the “pink cloud”, is angry about quitting, or is quietly wondering if numbing out is costing them more than they’re willing to admit. If you’re questioning booze and craving honest stories over glossy success tales, this is a powerful place to pause and ask: what is alcohol really doing in your life?