Name: Rachel Draayer

Recovery Date: 1/1/2023

Drug of choice: Alcohol

Instagram (optional): @draayerr

Give us a little background information. (Where are you from or grew up? What do you do for a living? What are your passions?): I am from and still reside in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I am a Teacher’s Assistant in a preschool. My passions are watching football and baseball, reading, journaling, traveling, spending time with my family and friends, and trying new non-alcoholic drinks ☺️

I got sober on a whim. I decided to do Dry January (where you don’t drink for the month of January) in January of 2023. I had just finished Matthew Perry’s book “Friends, lovers, and the big terrible thing” the month before.

In his memoir where he talked not only about his life but also about addictions. Which included alcohol and drugs. During that read, I began to think about HOW I was using alcohol. I was using it to cope with my Grandma’s death in November of 2022. I didn’t want to face my feelings. Alcohol was there for me.

I got sick at the end of December of 2022 so I wasn’t drinking. Then on a whim decided to take a break from alcohol for only 31 days. During that time I got better sleep, started getting along better with my mom and the no hangovers were amazing. I felt so good I decided to keep going after Dry January was over.

During that time I stumbled on a community on Instagram called no booze crew. Every Wednesday night they had women's support meetings thru Zoom. They were amazing! They welcomed me with open arms and I still attend those meetings almost every week. I have met some great friends thru that community. The best part of this journey is that I get to share and walk alongside it with my dad who suffers from alcoholism.

We support each other on the hard days and it’s nice to have someone who understands. I have also read a few books about what alcohol really is and that it’s basically poison.

I read “Quit Like a Woman: The radical choice to not drink in a culture obsessed with Alcohol” By: Holly Whitaker. Game changer! I decided after reading that book that I was done for good.

I also read “Girl Walks Out of the Bar” by Lisa F Smith. She writes about being a functioning alcoholic. It was really powerful! Who wants to drink something that is linked to 7 different types of cancers and shrinks your brain? Not me!

I think I even inspired my sister to cut back on her drinking. I was very excited when she told me she and her husband had cut back. I even talked to my cousin at Thanksgiving and he said he’s taking a break from alcohol. We bonded over our love of non-alcoholic beers 🥹.

If you had told me 2 or 3 years ago I would be sober for almost 2 years, I would have laughed at you. My head is clear and I feel like I am making better decisions in my everyday life and more genuine connections with people I meet.

I’ve also learned you don’t have to have an alcohol problem to stop. You can just like me want a healthier lifestyle. This has been the best journey and I wake up every morning grateful for this sober life I’m living! I am truly thankful and blessed.

How are you doing these days?: Great!

What do you do to maintain your recovery?: Go to my women's support meetings once a week.

What are you grateful for?: My alcohol-free life. Also waking up every day without a hangover is pretty amazing.

Any goals or aspirations you'd like to share?: To stay sober for the rest of my life.

Any advice you would give to newly sober folks?: One day at a time! It truly is just that. And if that’s too hard take it a second or minute at a time.