Come and connect to joy
Join the free online workshop on Tues April 1st 10am UK time
Workshop Theme: ‘Connecting to joy and fun in sobriety’
When: Tuesday 1 April 10am (UK time)
Length: 1 hour
Where: Online – using Zoom
Cost: Free!
There’s a prevalent belief in our culture that alcohol is the quick route to joy, fun and connection. Many people even believe that it’s impossible to have fun without alcohol: it’s a common fear people have about quitting drinking.
The truth is: alcohol robs us of real joy and fun, and overtime, like any addictive substance, it seems to be the only thing that makes us feel happy.
The truth is: once you break free from alcohol, you have the most incredible opportunity to rediscover true joy in your life.
The truth is: this is the start of a new beginning; a new chapter of your life where you get to focus on what makes you happy – maybe for the very first time.
What We’ll Explore
How alcohol robs us of joy: I’ll share some info about how alcohol changes our brain chemistry, increasing our sense of stress and anxiety, and how overtime, it becomes the only thing that makes us feel OK.
Breaking free of the big swings: In a culture saturated with alcohol, we live with the idea that fun and joy are to be found through drinking when we socialise at the weekends, weddings and ‘big nights out’, and we accept that the rest do the time, we feel pretty shit. What if there was another gentler way to live?
The joy of the ordinary: sobriety gives us the gift of presence and the ability to notice and find joy in the everyday. You’ll reflect on the little things that light you up and fill you with gratitude.
Challenges we may face: I’ll touch on how trauma, stress, lack of sleep and the demands of capitalism can leave us feeling exhausted, overwhelmed and in survival mode. We’ll gently reflect on where this might be true in your life, and what change might be possible.
What do you REALLY enjoy? The miracle of sobriety is you get to discover – maybe for the first time since you were a kid – what you actually enjoy doing and what you actually find fun.
Workshop Details
We’ll have one hour together to explore how bring more joy and fun into our lives. The session won’t be recorded so that everyone feels comfortable participating. I will guide you in a meditation and some questions to consider, and you’ll have the chance to reflect and journal – so have a notepad and pen beside you.
I think these workshops are most powerful when we connect and inspire one another and I’d love you to join with your camera on and to share what you discover, if you feel comfortable. Of course if you’d prefer to have your camera off and just listen, you are very welcome to.
Make sure you’re somewhere private where no one can walk in and you won’t be disturbed.
Who Is This For?
This workshop is for you if you:
Are looking for a compassionate, realistic and gentle approach to exploring sobriety
Know you’re done with alcohol and want to explore what life could be like on the other side
Are newly sober and just starting to explore this new chapter of your life
Have been sober a while and very much still discovering who you are without alcohol
Need some inspiration, hope and sparks of joy to keep you motivated and sure you’re on the right track
What will you take away?
I hope you’ll leave the workshop with:
A clearer understanding of how alcohol works on our brains and impacts our ability to feel joy
Clarity on what barriers there might be in your life to feeling joy and fun and ideas for what you could change and how
Ideas and inspiration for how you can bring more joy and fun into your life
A greater sense of gratitude and appreciation for your life
Confirmation that you’re doing great, you’re not alone and life is just going to get better and better for you!
Words from previous workshop attendees
‘I really enjoyed that session. Loads of great content. Loved your first poem, very powerful! I feel quite chilled now.’
‘I found the breathe-work, meditation & mindfulness techniques and general discussion on sobriety very helpful.’
‘You invited participants to consider alcohol use from an interesting and important angle - that alcohol might well have been a means of numbing out, and quelling that inner child who is crying out for love or compassion or something else. I hadn't ever thought about it in that specific way, but it made so much sense to me. We have a cultural acceptance of using alcohol to "de-stress" after a difficult day and, if we fall into that pattern, we barely scratch the surface of why we are stressed, why we are in pain.
'I enjoyed the emphasis on inviting more connection into one's life (contrasted with that hyper-independence we are encouraged to display) and my mind started whirring with the possible ways I could do this.’
Event details
When: Tuesday 1 April 10am (UK time)
Length: 1 hour
Where: Online – using Zoom
Cost: Free!
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch - you can email me at hello@ellie-nova.com. And if you know anyone who might be interested, please do share with them.
The next workshop will be on Tuesday 20th May at 12 noon on sober socialising, with a special guest! Save the date.
Sounds so beautiful Ellie 🤍