(Because You Don’t Have to Hit Bottom to Choose a Better Life)

Six years ago, I made one of the most powerful decisions of my life:

I stopped drinking.

Not because I hit bottom.
Not because I lost it all.

But because I was slowly losing myself.

I was high-functioning.
I was successful.
I was spiraling — and smiling through it.

Wine had become the way I coped.
Until it wasn’t.

This week, I’m sharing a truth I lived for years — and telling it more fully, more publicly, than I ever have before.

Because I haven’t been silent these past six years.
I’ve been honest.
I’ve coached women.

I’ve written and spoken and supported others walking this path.

But this?
This is the story behind the story.
This is the whole truth — shared from a place of deep knowing, healing, and clarity.

Why I stopped drinking — and started truly living.

Sobriety didn’t make everything perfect.
But it made everything possible.

I got my Freedom back.

My senses.
My laughter.
My presence.
My integrity.
My voice.
My faith.
My joy.

My relationships with my KIDS.

You don’t need to hit rock bottom to question your relationship with alcohol.
You don’t need to wait for a crisis.
You don’t need anyone’s permission.

You just get to want more for your life.
More clarity. More connection. More truth.
More nights you remember and mornings you’re proud of.

This episode is for anyone who’s quietly wondering…
“Could life be better without this?”

The answer is yes.
And you don’t have to walk that road alone.

Learn more about Redefining Sober and working with me to change your relationship with alcohol here. I'm happy to set up a call or answer any of your questions. Just know - I'm here.

Thank you for listening to Hope Comes to Visit. If this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show — it helps others find their way to these conversations.

New episodes drop every Monday and Friday, so you can begin and end your week with a little light and a lot of hope.

For more stories, reflections, and ways to connect, visit www.DanielleElliottSmith.com or follow along on Instagram @daniellesmithtv.