Who knew?
I had no idea that there was a whole community of people talking about their sobriety and, in doing so, making it more readily accessible to many others.
— Louise Atthey, TLC Meeting Leader, United Kingdom
Back in the summer of 2016, after joining Instagram on the advice of a friend, she also suggested that I follow Laura McKowen. Up to that point, my sobriety had been defined by Alcoholics Anonymous. And whilst I had spent some additional time with therapists, my recovery was mostly contained within the twelve-step structure. I had no idea that there was a whole community of people talking about their sobriety and, in doing so, making it more readily accessible to many others.
At the time, I had just moved into my first home since leaving my husband, and the children and I were getting used to what this meant for us. I was completely overwhelmed by single parenting, a full-time job, and an unclear future. When I saw that Laura was offering scholarships for her sobriety course ‘We Are The Luckiest’, I tentatively applied.
The course completely changed everything for me. It broadened and deepened my understanding and awareness of what I was going through and what I needed.
It felt as if someone had finally taken the lid off the box called ‘Sober” and shown me how to start. The truth is that there is no right answer, no single path for living sober but what we can all do, is define our own. After the first course, I became a mentor in the following one, and then the next, and the next.
There is something so special about helping another person get sober; seeing another life open up to the possibility of life without alcohol.
I was mentoring on the course in March 2020 when Covid struck. Laura had been launching her book of the same name and then she began to host online sobriety meetings. When she first put The Luckiest Club (TLC) together, also recognising the need for an online space in between meetings. I was asked if I’d be interested in helping out in a similar role to mentoring on the course. How could I not be? When the coming election heightened the stress for many, they began the early morning meetings at 5 AM PT, 8 AM ET. Having taken voluntary redundancy in September and the morning meetings being lunchtime in the UK, I offered up my support.
In these three years, The Luckiest Club has become my primary sober community.
There is no single, authoritative view on how to do sobriety, it is open to all ways. There is no restriction on content, it’s about life, and how to navigate it without alcohol. It’s a space without judgment, where we provide hope, support, and inspiration to anyone and everyone. We are guided by a set of principles called the Nine Things which many members could probably recite to you. We are held together by the desire to help people get and stay sober. We have watched members, and their families, lives transform.
If you ever wondered whether alcohol was serving you and what life might be like without it, then come see. We’re starting a new morning meeting for members based in the UK and Europe. I’ll be sharing the hosting with Caitlin and we start Wednesday, August 16th at 8 AM BST/9 AM CEST.
The Luckiest Club offers 50+ meetings weekly to keep you on the path to recovery, including #Bilingual, #Meditation, #Movement, #Queer/LGBTQIA2s+, #BIPOC, and Men's & Women's, 50+, and young adult meetings, all hosted by trained TLC leaders. Join today with a FREE 7-DAY TRIAL!
