Nine Months Alcohol Free
Delaney Monahan
Delaney Monahan has been alcohol free for nine months and feels transformed by the experience. Sobriety changed her life in many deep ways, not just by stopping drinking but by reshaping her daily routines and values. She now sees this change as a living part of herself that she will continue to nurture and protect.
29 Aug 2026
A seed was planted somewhere in me a long time ago, long before I was ready to tend to it. The desire to stop drinking was there for years before I actually did, living underneath excuses and fear and bargaining and shame, living underneath the version of me who kept saying someday. Someday I’ll take a break, someday I’ll get it under control, someday I’ll become the kind of person who doesn’t need this, who doesn’t do this.
Nine months ago, the idea of living permanently without alcohol felt insane and absolutely impossible. We live in a culture obsessed with drinking, it is woven into celebrations, grief, vacations, networking events, first dates, bad days, random Tuesday nights, book clubs, and literally everything. I genuinely could not imagine what life would look like without it.
Now I cannot imagine going back.