Pratidana Wellness Coaching

12/25/2025

This morning I came downstairs to find “Freddy” the Elf in “Child Pose” this morning. He pulled out my yoga mat and placed it under the tree 😅

I am almost 6 months Sober. 164 days to be exact, but I’m not counting days. I know this because the recovery elevator app tells me when I occasionally open the app.

I never resonated with traditional recovery programs. I don’t label myself as an “alcoholic” but I was definitely infected with the disease of alcoholism long before I took my first sip (ACA here).

What I realize after 6 months “off the booze” is how much clearer everything is, like putting on glasses after years of straining to see. I never realized how much alcohol was affecting me when I wasn’t drinking (in between drinking). I have been deeply depressed and despairing for most of my life. I have quietly suffered without taking medication and for the most part, I looked fine from the outside looking in. I “scrapped” my through like a cat, always landing on my feet (somehow)! I had to. I didn’t have a choice.

But, man, did Alcohol slow me down! It’s like Venom, only I didn’t see it holding me down until hindsight.

This Christmas felt “meh” like it could have come and gone and I wouldn’t really notice. This sounds “bah humbug” ish but really I think it’s because I didn’t get caught up in the hype like I normally do. I feel calm and peaceful, centered, unattached to the plans, the gifts, the expectations... and I credit all of this to giving up alcohol! Also, to finally falling in love with yoga after 10 years! Hence, why Freddy “the Elf” was in Child’s Pose when I came down stairs this morning.

If you have any inkling that life could be better without alcohol or maybe you feel like you’re in quicksand or covered in venom trying to move forward in life, feel free to reach out. Dry January is the perfect time to give alcohol-free a try!

PS. I am beyond the years of having to move Freddy every night (IYKYK) 😂

12/23/2025

“I never thought I would stop drinking, but here’s what changed.”

Alcohol was so much a part of my life from celebrations, to family BBQ’s at the lake, to no reason at all. I never knew a life without alcohol. As a ACA, they say, we are “infected by the disease of alcoholism before we take our first sip.” This feels true for me. It didn’t take long until I was binge drinking in my teens. Thankfully I grew out of binge drinking, but alcohol quietly became my go-to way of coping with stress much later in my life.

What I see in hindsight is that I never realized how much alcohol was affecting me even when I wasn’t actively drinking. Alcohol wasn’t really a problem for me while I was drinking (no reckless driving, no embarrassing accidents or emotional outbursts or rock bottom moments). I was mostly a closet drinker in secret quietly sipping to “turn down the overwhelm and noise of life.”

What I didn’t realize is how depressed I was because of alcohol, even when I wasn’t drinking. I have felt soul crushing despair for most of my life. When things got really bad, it felt like my “soul was separating from my body.” I used to drink to avoid that feeling, and now I realize that I was covered in layers and layers of avidya (misperception) caused by life and compounded by alcohol.

I will never go back to drinking. I have come so far from that soul crushing despair. I wouldn’t say I am happy all of the time, and that isn’t my goal, but at least I can see more clearly.

I wish this kind of peace and clarity for anyone seeking, on a journey to understand themselves better.

Join us on Facebook: “Off the Rocks: Learning to Love Living Alcohol Free.”

12/21/2025

“Peace isn’t passive.”
It isn’t checking out, numbing, or soothing the edges of life, with substances.

It’s not found in anything outside of ourselves.

Peace is an active choice.
A steady, grounded refusal to be pulled into every direction the world tries to take us.
It is removing misperception, ignorance and attachment to expectations.

Alcohol doesn’t bring peace. In fact, it disrupts peace over time.

True peace comes from within. From learning how to regulate your nervous system, to staying present, and staying rooted and steady when provoked by life.

Learning to love living alcohol free is about cultivating an inner steadiness that doesn’t depend on external relief.

Join us on Facebook. Link in my bio.

#2026

12/19/2025

What is the purpose of human existence?

Across philosophy, spirituality, psychology, and even biology, a few themes keep showing up again and again:

• to be conscious
• to relate
• to create meaning
• to alleviate suffering (ours and others’)
• to grow in wisdom, compassion, and responsibility

In other words, the purpose of human existence is: to be awake and engaged participants in life.

And this is where alcohol gets in the way. Alcohol doesn’t just “take the edge off.”

It shuts the lights off.
It disrupts our ability to feel, reflect, integrate, and choose wisely.

When we regularly turn the lights off on our consciousness:

• we postpone decisions instead of making them
• we trade presence for distraction
• we trade meaning for numb relief

Nothing dramatic has to happen.
No rock bottom.
No catastrophe.
Just a slow erosion of clarity, agency, and aliveness.
Darkness.

If part of being human is learning how to experience the full spectrum of emotion,
to respond instead of react,
to stay without dissociating,
to create without contorting,
and to grow through the discomfort of change
then alcohol, over time, pulls us away from that work.

“The Great Off Switch” to life.

If your soul is asking bigger questions lately:

Why am I here? What matters? What am I meant to do with this life?

It may not be that you need more answers. It may be that you need less anesthesia.

And that is the promise of sobriety; finally showing up for the life you’re already in.

After the storms of alcohol, sobriety brings a new beginning, and like a double rainbow, it reminds us that clarity often comes after a harsh storm.

🌈🌈

12/18/2025

12/18/2025

3 reasons why I won’t go back to drinking.

1. Alcohol turns off (executive function) problem-solving and decision-making ares of the brain. When I couldn’t decide on a major life decision, alcohol made sure I stayed stuck and dependent on alcohol to cope.

2. Alcohol made sure I couldn’t regulate my own nervous system, never mind co-regulating others (such as listening, staying calm, responding empathetically, reflecting back accurately).

3. Alcohol is the great “off switch to life.” My VBHAG (very big hairy audacious goals) for life were thrown to the way side.

I didn’t have a “rock bottom” moment. Nothing was “wrong” enough or “problematic” to quit.

Until I realized how much I wasn’t awake for my life.

I don’t miss alcohol.
I miss nothing about being less awake in my own life. And that’s why I don’t look back.

What is alcohol stealing from you that you might not realize?

12/16/2025

Because our society is obsessed with alcohol, many people don’t know what it’s like to see the world free of distortion, misperception and ignorance.

Even if you don’t have a “problem” with alcohol, if you’re drinking socially a couples times per week, your body and mind are disrupted by alcohol. Maybe not enough to cause external problems, but somewhere deep down you know alcohol is not serving you.

If this hits a cord, schedule a call to see if alcohol is causing more harm than it’s worth. Link in my bio.

There isn’t enough talk about how good sobriety is! It’s usually tangled up in powerlessness and shame.

Sobriety = seeing clearly ✨

12/12/2025

Eckhart Tolle says, “Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at this moment.”

I heard Eckart Tolle say this quote years ago, and now I’m reading “A New Earth” again with “sobrius” eyes. It’s easier to believe in hindsight, but if you asked me even a year ago if the pain I was experiencing was for my benefit, I probably would have winced.

Alcohol is a perfect example of learning to recognize the “unconsciousness” I was operating from. Breaking up with Alcohol is an awakening of the soul.

If you need an awakening of your soul, join me on my alcohol free journey. Comment “wake up” to stay connected.

09/10/2025

✨ It was so nice meeting new alcohol-free friends last night! ✨

If you’re interested in alcohol free life, our next Sober & Social Ann Arbor Meet & Greet is coming up soon, 9/17.

💛 Whether you’re sober-curious, newly alcohol-free, or years into the journey, please join us!

👉 RSVP for the next event and join the conversation!

09/09/2025

Choosing to go alcohol-free is only half the battle. Maintaining sobriety, and rediscovering who you are without alcohol is the real work of staying sober.

That’s why I created Sober & Social Ann Arbor. A community for anyone seeking connection, fun, and good company without the booze. Whether you’re sober-curious, newly alcohol-free, or years into your journey, you’re welcome here.

✨ You don’t need a “rock-bottom” story to explore life without alcohol. Millions of people are waking up to how alcohol affects our health, relationships, motivation, and potential. It’s time to normalize choosing not to drink.

Here are a few things we could do as a group:
✅ Stroll through the Arb
✅ Cooking class at Sur La Table
✅ Sourdough bread-making at Zingerman’s
✅ Swing dance lessons in Ypsi
✅ Yoga or hill sprints at Vets Park
✅ Coffee at Dozer
✅ Try a new restaurant downtown
✅ Start a book club
(and bring your own ideas too!)

👋🏼 I’m Melanie—a 47-year-old introverted, highly sensitive human navigating life alcohol-free in Ann Arbor. I couldn’t find a local AF community rooted in freedom, choice, and self-love (instead of powerlessness or rehab), so I built one. And yes, if you’re in AA or recovery, you are absolutely welcome here too.

This isn’t a support group—but community is the #1 protective factor in staying alcohol-free. If it’s your goal to live AF (or just try it on for size), join us.

✨ Let’s build connection without the hangover.

See you there! Click the link in my bio or find us on Meetup.

09/09/2025

✨ Why I Became an Alcohol-Free Lifestyle Coach ✨

As a therapist, my role is not to tell a client what to do or how to live their life, that would be unethical. My job is to listen with unconditional positive regard, notice patterns, and use specific interventions (with documentation and clinical rationale) to reduce symptoms and improve daily functioning. Therapy is a unique relationship; there’s truly no other relationship like it. It requires medical necessity and is guided by strict ethical boundaries.

Coaching, on the other hand, is NOT therapy. As an Alcohol-Free Lifestyle Coach, there are no DSM-5 criteria or diagnoses required. My role is to teach, guide, and share practical tools for one very specific goal: changing your relationship with alcohol. In yoga philosophy, the coach is like a guru—shining a light on the student’s path. Coaching also allows me to share parts of my own story with alcohol, which would be unethical in therapy.

Think of therapy as detective work—exploring your history, relationships, and inner world. Think of coaching as navigation—you’ve chosen the destination, and I help prepare you for the journey with a map and compass, walking alongside you, pointing out pitfalls and offering support if you get lost.

👉 If you’re ready to reduce your drinking or break up with alcohol once and for all, coaching can help you take action by focusing on the journey ahead.
👉 If you’re experiencing clinically significant symptoms that make daily life unmanageable, therapy can help restore stability.

Therapy is not coaching, and coaching is not therapy. Both have their place—and sometimes, both can work together (but NOT with the same person, that would be unethical 😅).

P.S. While it’s rare, there are exceptional cases where a therapist may directly advise against drinking, for example, if a client poses a serious or imminent risk to themselves or others. Even then, it must be documented with clear clinical rationale.