I know that this is going to sound harsh.It might even sound rude. But, I have to say it. I am done with health groups praying on addiction. Dry February is nothing more than hype. Dry February is praying on addiction.  When did addiction become a fundraising opportunity?

If you want to stop drinking, you must do it for yourself. If you want to stop drinking, no gimmicky campaign from an out-of-touch NGO marketing team that thinks it’s “woke” to pray upon addiction will give you the support and help you might need.

Let’s be clear, if the NGO behind Dry Feb understood addiction, there would be tools to help. There would be warnings, more support than a list of mocktails, and the fan favourite advice: “Keep yourself busy – make the most of your weekends! Try a new hobby or go on an adventure outside” (DRY FEB)

This is predatory behaviour that must stop. 

If you think your drinking has become unmanageable, you can get help. There are tools, resources, and support!

Here are some resources to help

Wellness Together Canada

• Immediate, free, and confidential mental health and substance use help
• 24/7
• Virtual services in English and French
• Interpretation services are available during phone counseling sessions in over 200 languages and dialects

Drug Rehab Services

• Free, confidential professional help and resource for drug and alcohol addiction in Canada
• Referrals for clients seeking support with substances

Alcoholics Anonymous

Free meetings and support for people who come together to solve their drinking problem

There are also many more resources on the Health Canada Website. 

I am not writing to stop you from removing alcohol from your life. I am not here to stop you from living a sober life. On the contrary, I want you to succeed in whatever you do. Especially when it comes to your health.

I will not sell you anything or try to capitalize on your fears. I want to encourage you. Live the life you want to live, with or without alcohol in it.

As someone living in recovery, I will be honest and tell you it will be the hardest yet more rewarding thing you will ever do. I am also going to say your relationship with drinking is yours, and you need to discover what place/role it has in your life.

Alcoholism is a chronic disease characterized by the compulsive need to drink despite the negative consequences. It is a progressive disease that can lead to serious health problems, including liver damage, brain damage, and heart disease. In severe cases, it can even be life-threatening.

According to Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines, you will find their recommended consumption limits. I have listed them below. 

Women:

• limit alcohol to no more than:
  • 2 standard drinks per day
  • 10 standard drinks per week
  • 3 standard drinks on special occasions
• avoid drinking alcohol on some days

Men:

• limit alcohol to no more than:
  • 3 standard drinks per day
  • 15 standard drinks per week
  • 4 standard drinks on special occasions
• avoid drinking alcohol on some days

Pregnant women:

• avoid drinking alcohol

Alcohol addiction is a disease, not a fundraising initiative. 

I know I have said this a few times, but again, why are we okay with addiction being used as a fundraising opportunity? If stopping drinking to you is essential, it’s something that you want to do, I applaud you, and I am going to say talk to someone. Addiction to any substance should never be minimized.

If you started Dry February and have realized that stopping drinking is much more complicated than you thought, don’t feel bad about dropping out. Your addiction or relationship to alcohol is not a profiteering opportunity for others.  It’s okay if you feel that Dry February is nothing more than Hype. 

I want to also say shame on the Canadian Cancer Society, which after all these years, still hasn’t figured out how to lead with compassion for all Canadians that suffer illness.  Actions like these makes me wonder where the money is going if they are so desperate as to prey upon one illness to find a cure for another. 

Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2nd in the United States and Canada. The holiday is based on the belief that the groundhog will come out of its burrow on this day. If it sees its shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat back into its burrow, indicating six more weeks of winter. If the groundhog does not see its shadow due to cloudy weather, it is believed that spring will arrive early.

How It Started

The holiday has its roots in the ancient Christian holiday of Candlemas, which was celebrated on February 2nd and marked the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The holiday was later combined with a pagan festival that celebrated the end of winter and the arrival of spring.

The modern celebration of Groundhog Day began in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, in 1887. A group of groundhog hunters called the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club held the first official Groundhog Day celebration. Since then, the Punxsutawney groundhog, known as Punxsutawney Phil, has been the most famous in the United States. Thousands of people gather in Punxsutawney each year to witness the groundhog’s prediction.

Locally in Northumberland, we have Warkworth Wilma, the first and only female prognosticator. Wilma arrived in Northumberland roughly 15 years ago with Patrick Muldoon, a former teacher from Campbellford and current librarian at Warkworth Library. Wilma resides in her burrow in the parking lot behind the library. Follow Wilma year-round and learn some cool groundhog facts by following her on Instagram!

The February 2nd celebration has also been popularized in popular culture. The most notable example is the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day” starring Bill Murray. The movie tells the story of a cynical weatherman stuck reliving the same day repeatedly in the small town of Punxsutawney until he finally learns to appreciate the people and events around him.

The accuracy of the groundhog’s prediction is not scientifically proven, and the holiday is primarily a light-hearted tradition. I hope Wilma does not see her shadow, because who isn’t wishing to welcome an early spring?

What is Galentine’s Day?

Galentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated on February 13th, the day before Valentine’s Day.
The holiday was first popularized by the television show Parks and Recreation, in which the character Leslie Knope (played by Amy Poehler) declares it a day to celebrate and appreciate women’s strong, supportive friendships.

Galentine’s Day is all about celebrating the bond of female friendship. It’s a day to appreciate the extraordinary women in your life, whether they are your best friends, sisters, mothers, or any other woman who has positively impacted your life.  A time to tell these women how much they mean to you and how much you value their friendship. It’s not just limited to women. Men and non-binary folks can also participate in Galentine’s Day and celebrate their friendships with other men and non-binary folks.

Since this day of celebration falls on our broadcast day, we took this as a sign from the universe, and took notice and decided to join up The Nooks and put on a Northumberland Galentine’s party!

PSSS… IT’S FREE

Starting at 7pm The Nooks will be the place to spend the night with your best friends.

STAY IN

PLAN A DAY OUT

GIVE A GIFT

SHOW GRATITUDE

This is one thing I will be doing this year! Expressing gratitude to the incredible women that I have in my life. This can be done by popping a card in the mail, sending an email, or picking up the phone and telling them how important they are to you.

Galentine’s Day is a special day to celebrate and appreciate women’s strong, supportive friendships. It’s a day to tell the extraordinary women in your life how much they mean to you and how much you value their friendship. It’s a day to celebrate all forms of love and connection and to give back to your community. Mark your calendar for February 13th and celebrate the bond of female friendship.

Happy New Year!  

Are you ready to manifest your dreams into reality! 

Well our vision board work shop may be what you are looking for!  You can get tickets HERE

A vision board is a collage of images, quotes, and affirmations representing your goals and aspirations. By surrounding yourself with visual reminders of what you want to achieve, you can increase your motivation and focus on turning your dreams into reality.

Here’s how to create your own vision board:

Identify Your Goals

What do you want to achieve in the next year or beyond? Make a list of your goals and aspirations, including both long-term and short-term objectives. Consider areas of your life such as career, relationships, health, and personal growth.

Gather Materials

You can create a vision board physically using poster board, magazine cutouts, markers, and glue, or digitally using a software like Canva or Adobe Spark.

Find images that represent your goals:

Look through magazines, print out pictures from the internet, or use your own photographs to find images that represent your goals. You can also include quotes or affirmations that resonate with you.

Arrange your images:

Once you have a good selection of images, start arranging them on your poster board or digital canvas. Consider the layout and balance of your board, and try to group similar goals together.

Display your vision board in a prominent place:

Hang your physical vision board somewhere you will see it often, such as on your bedroom wall or in your home office. If you created a digital vision board, you could set it as your desktop background or screensaver.

It’s important to review your vision board regularly and make updates as needed. You may find that your goals and priorities change over time, and that’s okay! Remove any images or affirmations that no longer resonate with you and replace them with new ones.

Creating a vision board can be a fun and inspiring activity, and it can help you stay focused on your goals throughout the year. So why wait? Start manifesting your dreams into reality today by making your own vision board!

For more inspiration and ideas, check out these articles:

Here’s How to Make a Vision Board for Manifestation 

The Reason Vision Boards Work and How to Make One

What Is a Vision Board and Why Make One?

For as long as I can remember, my milestone birthdays sucked. Just the milestone ones. The ones that I made a big deal about. I added all this external pressure that made me feel like I need to hit some big target to prove to the world that I had made it. That I did something with my life. That I deserve to keep on living. I know insane right?

I just turned 50 this year, and let me tell you, this was by far the hardest and most emotional milestone to date.

My sweet sixteen ended up being a disaster. It was smack dab in the 80’s and decided to throw this black and white themed birthday party.  I rented a hall and had the coolest DJ around. At some point during the evening, like a 100 uninvited guests showed up and it turned into a crazy event and the cops were called in.  I swear, i should have remembered that moment, and learned from it. But I didn’t. The pressure to reach goals and prove something to the world that I had earned all those candles on my cake simply intensified as I got older.

At eighteen, I 100% believed I deserved a brand new car. I actually believed in my head, that my working middle class parents owed me this luxury. That I deserved it. So 18 roles around, and no car, cue the tears. LOL

Honestly, I don’t even remember 21. so we can skip that.

At 30, I had this growing sense of jealously for those around me. I hated that my friends had found their forever people, and that I was miserably alone. That their partners were throwing them these lavish 30th surprise birthday parties while  I was spending my 30th on my own, miserable. It was during this time that I began to withdraw from my social circle. (I will do another blog on this later) Seeing my friends married, with children was way too much for me. There is no other word than JEALOUS. I was jealous of my friends. So I slowly started walking away from them. It didn’t happen overnight, and by the time I reached my next milestone birthday, my friends were gone and I had just handful of people in my life.

40! Well that one I had nothing to do with. My mom and my husband decided they would throw me a surprise party. I really didn’t feel like celebrating. But almost 6 months later, I was surprised to find a group of my friends at one of my favourite restaurant all shouting SURPRISE! It was nice and simple.

Now this past week 50 rolled around. I really was thinking of throwing a great big party. I wanted to do a photo shoot, have a huge party at the beach invite a bunch of friends. It didn’t happen. I was once again feeling the curse of the milestone birthdays, but this time it was worse than ever.

I spent half of July and the majority of August in my own grief. Grieving for the life I had already lived. I was lost in my own sadness of what I hadn’t accomplished that I ignored the fact that I had gratitude for what I had a learned, experienced and accomplished in the last 50 years.  I was just focused on the missed opportunities. It was damn hard. I feel for my husband. He had to sit back and just watch me fall apart like he had never seen before.  But now a few days later, I am better. I have found gratitude in what I do have. I have a wonderful relationship, I have my family and my friends. I have my health and my mind, and most importantly I made it to 50. And that is reason to celebrate. Not with a big extravagant party, just with me and those I love the most.

I just hope I deal with 60 better!