Daily Tales of the Sober Tea Totaler

 Happy October!!

 I love this orange month! I am sorry for not being present here.  I want to commit to this blog.  I just survived, what I'm going to say, is the most difficult time of my life.  It went on for years.  My mom died when she had just turned 79, in 2012, leaving behind my Dad, who was used to her doing everything.  I lived just up the road so I basically became his primary caregiver for 12 years, he passed away in 2024 at 94.

Long story short, I was left a giant mess because of my role as Executor.  Dad didn't do anything after Mom died.  His place fell into disrepair and he died.  My youngest sister passed away six months later.  My living sister and I were left to pick up the pieces and it wasn't pretty.

There were things in the closet from many years ago.  We had to take truckloads of stuff to the Thrift Stores.  The worst is yet to come.

The real estate plummeted and the trailer park he owned his home in was for sale.  We paid for the pad rental, heating and miscellaneous items for over two years.  Finally, an interested buyer showed up but requested a building inspection.  Bad news!  Inspection failed. Couldn't get house insurance.  I decided to call the Trailer Park dealer that had originally sold them the trailer and begged him to take it off our hands.  He bought the place for a very small amount of money.  

The place is gone.  The burden of looking after it is gone.  I'm finally free after years of responsibility.  I pray a lot, always have.  I believe I've healed ancient ancestral trauma that has plagued me all my life.  I healed it and it took every ounce of everything in me, to do it.

I had to hire a lawyer and then an accountant.  This all comes out of the tiny inheritance.  Probate was $3,000.00.  I watched money got down the drain.  The lawyer will set up the account to give the dead sisters, children her part.  The accountant will do the last income tax for Dad.  We might have to pay taxes.  It's unbelievable how much money the CRA gets.

I cannot believe I will soon be able to put this all behind me.  It's been a nightmare.  The good news is, through it all, I'm still a sober tea totaler and looking so forward to pursuing some hobbies.  The worry is gone.  Every day I give thanks for all the adversity and challenges and difficulties I have in my life.  I look for joy.  

Thanks for reading!  Enjoy a cup of your favorite tea and have a wonderful day! See you on the other side!!

Daily tales of the Sober Tea Totaler!

Please grab a cup of tea and join me for my daily tale of how I've been in recovery for over a year now, finally!!

A lot has become much clearer over the past year with my recovery.  I finally understand what it means to recover myself.  I've been lost.  Didn't really know myself as I had been molded by other people.  Told what to do, when to do it and how to do it.  

Funnily, I've been on my spiritual journey for many years.  I stumbled upon dearly departed Wayne Dyer's books in the early 1990's.  He became my mentor along with the very popular Eckhart Tolle.  In the meantime, I was completely immersing myself in wine. 

Instead of recovering myself, I dosed myself to numb out how I was feeling.  We are the baby boomers and grew up in the 1950's and 60's.  Canadian families were able to enjoy abundant lifestyles and this meant, a lot of alcohol in some cases, such as mine.  We didn't talk about feelings.  Parents motto was "children should be seen and not heard."  We towed the line but had very little supervision and lived a feral childhood.  Dad was a logger and gone most of the time, leaving poor Mom with three, quite rambunctious daughters.  This was during time when stay at home mothers had what they called " mothers' little helpers" or in other words, speed! 

I started drinking about 12 years old and believe I became an alcoholic in high school.  The teaching staff deemed me as "university material" but I didn't have a mentor and very little family support, so I really struggled.  As well, I spent all my free time either working at my part-time job or drinking.  Studies took a back seat.

I'll be back with more stories of how I've finally started to recover myself. xxx Cath

Daily Tales of the Sober Tea -Totaler

It's already September.  The year of the fire horse is racing ahead.  We had some much-needed rain and now the sun is shining.  I love fall weather.

I celebrated my one year of sobriety on August 22!   My body is feeling so good.  The inflammation in my legs is gone.  I was suffering from extreme leg cramps and they've dissipated. My face is looking much more youthful.  Granted, I've put on some extra pounds because sadly, sweet things have slightly replaced the alcohol but I'm hoping to get that under control.

The most important thing about being sober is I've found my peace.  After all these years, peace has come into my life and its a beautiful thing.

I don't have go out much to events that serve Alcohol and so that isn't really a trigger for me.  Tonight, I was watching weddings on Instagram and for a moment, was carried away thinking about good the alcohol looked.  I cannot just have one or maybe two drinks once in a while.  I've tried drinking in moderation and it doesn't work for me.

Anyhow, here's to me for one full year without alcohol and to many more to come.  If I can do it, you can to! 

 

Daily Tales of the Sober Tea-totaler

 In 2021, I joined an on-line recovery group called "Women for Sobriety".  I managed to quit alcohol for six months.  I'll be referring to alcohol as AL in my posts.  I remember thinking when I started again, "I'll just have one or two!"  Didn't happen.  Finally, in late August 2025, I had my last drink and, in a few days, will celebrate my sobriety of one year.  I honestly can't believe a whole year has gone by but I'm really proud of myself.  This has something I've tried to do for years. 

Women For Sobriety was started by Dr. Jean Kilpatrick in 1975 and is based on The New Life program along with 13 Acceptance Statements.  It's based out of the United States with a few Canadian women involved.  There is incredible support with zoom meetings, groups, including the Newbies with our incredible leader, Queen Bee!!  

I'm sharing this because I'd really like to make some connections with other women who are on this recovery journey.  I was thinking the other day about the stigma with telling family/friends, I've quit drinking!  Right away, it's assumed that I have a problem!  In truth, that's right but the big reason I'm not in biding is for my health.  Sadly, I saw AL completely take out members of my family.  Health is our wealth and AL steals our health from us.

If you happen to read this post, please reach out!  I'd love to hear how you're doing on your road to better health with Al involved or it you're trying to quit and don't have any resources.

The Sober Teatotaler (When the Universe Throws a Curve Ball!)

  In the past, when the Universe threw me a curve ball, I would turn to the bottle.  Growing up, many years ago, sadly, I didn't have a mentor to show me how to regulate my emotions/nervous system.  Born in the fifties, just after the Second World war, we were taught to just soldier on.  Children were seen and not heard.  On top of it, my family was consumed with alcohol, so I started imbibing at about the age of 12, maybe sooner.  I was the oldest in the family and was responsible for the care of my two younger sisters. My first job was babysitting, and I would look after the children that my parents were going out partying with.

What I started to say, was, recently I have been thrown a curve ball but I'm still sober.  Drinking would not be helpful right now and probably make it worse.  It's also helped me to see that I am not a victim.

The Sober Teatotaler! July 2026

Hi my Teatotaler friends!! Great to talk to you today!  Please find yourself a cup of your favorite tea and join me for a chat!

I'm celebrating as I approach one full year of sobriety!  Pinching myself because I didn't think I'd be able to do it, but I did it!! 

I'm thanking the wonderful on-line, women only, support group called Women for Sobriety.  I originally joined in 2021. I managed to stay sober for 6 months and relapsed.  Rejoined August 22, 2025, and haven't looked back.  WFS, is very supportive with on-line zoom meetings every day as well as groups.  I committed to pledging every day and have done so with only a few misses.  Pledging keeps me accountable.  

The Sober Teatotaler

Hello my Sober Teatotaler friends! Happy to see you today!  I drew two cards from my deck today!  Sadly, I'll have to look up the designer!  I love this deck and when I find out who made it, I'll let you know!  Enjoy the cards and let me know what messages they bring to you!  Sorry about the photo quality! I hope to improve because I'm just starting out here! Have a cup of tea on me today! Lots of love! xxx