27th December 2024; With Christmas out the way and many starting to think about their wellbeing choices for 2025, James Shaw renowned UK pilates instructor opens up about his sobriety journey and how it changed his life. Jame’s Mother tragically passed away in 2022, which made him step back and look at all areas of his life, it was then on this day 2 years ago he decided that his way forward was to cut alcohol out of his life.
As soon as James stopped drinking he recognised he had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol which prevented him from being his true self. This choice became a powerful catalyst for personal growth, allowing him to process the grief of losing his Mum authentically and discover a more genuine version himself. Jame’s sobriety journey has been less about abstinence and more about self-discovery, healing, and embracing life with clarity, intention, and emotional resilience.
As January approaches, James explores his top tips/ non alcoholic options as well as some profound changes giving up alcohol had on his life. Whether you are looking to give up or create healthier boundaries with the way you drink – this could help!
Jame’s Tips and Tricks to not drinking:
‘Sparkling water or kombucha is a favourite of mine, but I’ve noticed that my choice to abstain from alcohol can sometimes make others feel uneasy. To ease these social situations, I often start with an alcohol-free (AF) replacement. My go-to are 0% Guinness and draft Lucky Saint, both are served in pint glasses, making it nearly indistinguishable from traditional beer. This approach allows me to enjoy the experience without the pressure of drinking alcohol, making a more comfortable atmosphere for everyone involved’
The 8 profound changes:
- Intuition- self belief the realisation that I’m the power within my Life is happening for me, not to me. The power to change and create the life I want.
- Being Present – Living in my life instead of being a passenger of it, attitude of gratitude and being more mindful.
- Consistency – every angle of my life has elevated, due to my consistency and discipline to work on myself development and personal growth.
- Self talk – learning to be kinder to myself, improved self esteem which eliminated my
- Emotional intelligence – discovering my feelings and realising my ability to self-reflect to look deeper to understand my Why’s and how’s my feelings to build and grow from within.
- Fulfillment – creating and spreading happiness, finding my Why and using this as my pivot point to share and support others.
- Connection – building meaningful relationships helping to grow my relationship with family and
- Time – something money can’t buy! I have so much more Improved focus which makes me more productive and the amount I now get done within a day is insane.’
- Sleep – I’ve always slept around 6 to 7 hours and naturally wake up at 4:30 or 5:00 AM. When I was drinking, I thought I had insomnia, but now, in sobriety, I see those early mornings as a great opportunity to fit in my Pilates or workout routine
To follow Jame’s journey https://www.instagram.com/jamesshawpilates/ and listen to his latest episode on the Pilates Sisters podcast where he talks all about his sobriety journey –
