Staying Anchored with Lisa

Who is Lisa?

I’m a 25 year old living in London, and a volunteer with Arclett. Professionally, I work in the non-profit sector, so I am helping out with impact measurement, pitching, and general bits and bobs here at Arclett to ensure we can deliver our mission to as many people as possible. I did wonder how to describe myself for this question, but I don’t think ‘non-profit professional’ sums me up. I love fitness and weightlifting, I love baking, I love knitting and crocheting, and have had an array of hobbies throughout my life, so I don’t think that description would do me justice. I’m also sober. I went sober 2 years ago, after re-evaluating the difficult relationship I had with any and all mind-altering substances. Alcohol was definitely a catalyst for my other addictions, mental health problems, and just feeling like my life was falling apart at the seams. Being creative and physically active have been cornerstones throughout my sobriety journey, and a guiding light through the difficulties. 

How did you become inspired by Sober Living?

Before I went sober, I was thinking about stopping drinking on and off. I already followed some sober inspiration accounts before I committed, and there were only two things stopping me. Number one was stigma. Being in your mid-twenties in such a bustling party-driven city as London and not drinking seemed incongruous to me. I’ve seen my own reaction to people not drinking, and I’ve seen how others around me reacted - I didn’t want to be the target of ‘Oh what’s wrong? Why are you not drinking?’. Second was the fact I didn’t know who I was without drinking. For years, my personality was centered around going out and partying, and quite frankly I didn’t know who I would be without doing that, which led to me being stuck in cycles of self-destructive behaviour. It definitely took some time for me, looking at the lives of people who were sober, to fully decide to commit. My journey started with doing Dry January, and then it all kind of continued from there.

What is your favourite sober experience?

I would say it’s a tie between my sober birthday solo getaway at a cabin and my 1 year soberversary. The first one because I took some time away by myself, in nature, just to sit with my thoughts and reflect on my journey thus far. Before I was sober, I was terrified by the prospect of being left alone with my thoughts and feelings - I employed every possible option in the book to avoid consciously feeling things. But being sober has given me the space to do that, and now I find peace and serenity in it. The 1 year celebration of my sobriety was one of my favourite experiences because I got to bring together people who love me, people who supported me and stuck by my side through thick and thin. Sometimes I look back at the person I was when I was drinking and think ‘I have no idea how they tolerated me’. I will forever be grateful to my friends and my support system for encouraging me to be a better version of myself, for loving me, and for being there for me every day, through the highs and lows. I would take a bullet for these people, and being all together celebrating my achievement was an incredible display of love and community which I will remember for years to come.

How do you connect with the outdoors?

Living in London connecting with the outdoors can be quite difficult. Over the last few years of sobriety I have made more conscious efforts to be outside and dedicate time to connect with myself in nature. Since I was a child, I’ve always been more taken with paintings of nature - in a museum, you can always find me drifting towards the scenery rather than the portraits. I have previously lived in Vancouver for a year, and I cannot quite put into words the way seeing the snow-capped mountains makes me feel. It’s like an inexplicable understanding of your own insignificance and yet the profound meaning of your trajectory and purpose - it’s incredibly poetic. Whenever I get to go into nature I get that same feeling every time, and there’s something so painfully beautiful about it. When we had our trip with Scott to Snowdonia it was a beautiful reminder of this emotion - it’s so moving seeing the light reflect off the mountains’ grandiose slopes, it gives me that warm feeling inside. There is no way to fully capture this feeling through paintings or images, you have to experience it. 

Where are you heading next?

I am planning on making more of an effort to connect with that feeling. In my 2025 bucket list I want to take at least two solo trips into nature, and connect more with the green spaces around London. The Scottish Highlands have been on my bucket-list for the longest time, and I am planning on making this a reality soon. 

In terms of my sobriety journey, I am going to continue working with Arclett to raise awareness of the gorgeous platform and community Scott has created. It is something that is new, something that we know works, and I see sharing its power as part of my own mission. 

You can learn more about Lisa here.