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Philly Powell is the CEO and founder of Wellbeing Tick, an organisation that works with workplaces worldwide to help transform toxic cultures and improve employee wellbeing . Now a self-described wellbeing junkie, she spent much of her life with a problematic relationship with alcohol . She started a nine-month period of sobriety on April 14 last year .
.. and is still going.
As Dry July continues, Powell shares her story of being addicted to alcohol, and the life-changing benefits of becoming sober. The first time I remember getting drunk, I was about 13, with family at Christmas , sitting on the deck with a glass of bubbles and a strawberry and having no idea what was going to happen. As I started to feel these feelings of being tipsy, I really loved it.
I was like, “whoa, this is so cool”. My whole family are not big drinkers. Mum loves a wine or two, but nothing crazy.
Growing up, there was probably Miami Wine Cooler in the fridge, but it was always celebratory : birthdays, occasions. I’ve never really seen my mum drunk, or my dad for that matter, just tipsy and having fun. But my drinking really started when I was 14 and at college.
I went to a private girls’ school and we were the worst. We lite.