Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I am now 11 months into my 12 months sober challenge, in honour of my mum Rhian, who we devastatingly lost in May 2024.

These last 11 months have been eye opening and has taught me a lot, mostly around being able to enjoy life without a single drop of alcohol. This year I have been to a hen party, weddings, holidays, a festival and nights out with work and friends - I had the best time and at no point felt the need for alcohol to make it any better. I'm fortunate that I've never relied on alcohol, and so that no doubt made it easier for me this year. But that's not the reality for a lot of people.

For those of you who had the pleasure and privilege of knowing my mum, she was funny, loving, an absolute nutter at times, but most importantly, she was the most caring soul. She put everyone above herself - an amazing quality to have, but it also meant she lost sight of her own needs in the last few years.

Alcohol, for many, is a big part of someone’s lifestyle. Whether that be drinks with friends in the sun, pub lunch, a drink after a long day of work, letting your hair down on a Friday/Saturday night, a Wedding/Funeral, a Birthday, the list is endless… but the culture of drinking is a tough gig, it’s so easily accessible and addictive, and sometimes, without realising, you become reliant on that drink to feel better.

My relationship with alcohol has changed over the years. From having underage drinks with my friends in random fields, to going to Uni, to now. I’ve never been a heavy drinker, but I did like to go out every now and then and have that ‘drunk’ feeling, it made me feel light and happy and fun. Every time I came home from up North to visit, it felt like a celebration and there would always be a bottle of prosecco or wine in the fridge.

But the past few years, it’s been tough, and alcohol played a massive part of why it was so tough. Watching a loved one spiral downwards, losing themself, fracturing the relationships around them, and not being able to get through to them on how we can help, is beyond devastating. You feel useless, deflated, and guilty. The guilt is hard. You feel you haven’t tried hard enough, haven’t been assertive enough, but ultimately, you cannot force anyone to change if they aren’t ready or willing to do so themselves, and trying to come to terms with that can be a real struggle. Seeing the effects of what alcohol can do to a person, I naturally stopped drinking as much, only really having a few drinks at an occasion. I decided on January 1st 2025, I would go the whole year sober. Mum had a disease, it stopped her from being able to give up alcohol, but there is nothing to stop me, so in honour of her, I’ll give it up.

I’ve chosen the charity Barod, to fundraise for due to the support they provide to individuals affected by alcohol and drugs, as well as support for their friends and family. DDAS, an extension of Barod and has support services in Aberystwyth, is close to my heart and knowing I can help raise money to further fund their support services is a pleasure.

Thank you for reading my story, and appreciate any amount of support.

To the moon and back Mumma.

Love,

Little One