This Moment Was Brought to You By… Alcohol Free Presence

Even though Father's Day has come and gone, I think mothers and fathers deserve to be celebrated every day.

Not because they're perfect.

But because they keep showing up.

And as a parent myself, I've learned that the work doesn't magically stop when the kids turn 18. Sometimes the worries shift, but the love remains.

Over the weekend, my dad re-shared an email he had sent me after visiting me in San Diego in 2015.

He spent most of the email telling me how proud he was. He wrote about my talents and all the ways I exceeded expectations. But he also gently shared something that had been weighing on his heart:

"Since I don't see you or talk to you that often, a distance is created and it can be hard to get an accurate read on you. I have considered that drinking alcohol is a part of your life that is different than most people; it appears to be robbing you of some joy and energy."

This wasn't the first conversation we'd had.

And honestly?

I ignored it. Again.

I didn't believe him.

Alcohol provided me with joy and energy.

I certainly wasn't looking to examine my relationship with alcohol.

It was the one thing that seemed to be holding my life together.

That wouldn't come until years later, in 2019.

Reading those words again now, I can see that he was right.

Not because he shamed me.

Not because he gave me ultimatums.

Not because he threatened to walk away.

He simply loved me enough to tell the truth as he saw it—and then continued loving me while I found my own path.

Looking back, I realize what a gift that was.

One thing he wrote that I still view a little differently was this:

"Come to a realization that alcohol is more powerful than you. It has its way with people that they can't escape unless they go for help."

And I wholeheartedly agree with one part:

We need help.

As humans, we aren't meant to do life alone. Asking for support is not weakness. It's strength.

But today, after walking my own alcohol-free journey:

I don't believe alcohol is more powerful than me.

I believe freedom is possible.

I believe change is possible.

I believe our brains and bodies can heal.

I believe we can learn new ways to cope, celebrate, rest, and connect.

And perhaps most importantly, I believe no one is beyond hope.

Today, alcohol has no persuasion over me.

No pull.

No appeal.

No missing out.

Not because I white-knuckle my way through life.

But because I discovered something better.

Presence.

And that's what this new little comic series is about.

Not perfection.

Not judgment.

Not "before and after."

Just ordinary moments that somehow feel different when we're fully there for them.

There is a different energy. A lightness.

Because the truth is, the greatest gift we give the people we love isn't perfection.

It's our presence.

And if you're questioning your own relationship with alcohol, wondering if life could feel different, or simply curious about what freedom might look like for you, I'd be honored to walk alongside you.

You don't have to figure it all out alone.

And no matter how long it takes, it's not too late to discover more joy and energy.

Sending love and light, 💛 Stephanie