4 Years Sober

4 Years Sober -

Can I believe I am here writing this? No. Did I ever imagine this would be my life? No. Did I think we would ever truely make it? No, I was scared everyday. But we are here, we made it & life is better then I ever imagined it could be. Here’s to my best friend, my husband and to the father of my children, 4 years sober, you did it and we are so proud of you.

A lot may wander what this has to do with Luca the Label? I started this brand for my family. To be closer to the children and flexible around all life had to throw at us. Life is a funny little thing. Hugo and I were just friends, young and dumb some would say. When very early on in our friendship I fell pregnant at 18 with our dearest Aaylah Girl. Most are surprised when I tell them that Hugo and I weren’t together until Aaylah was 5 months old. But a lot also don’t know that Hugo was also just 18, with drinking being his main priority. We moved into a home together to give family life a go and his drinking soon consumed him, putting himself and many others at risk. The week before Aaylah’s first birthday he found he was going to loose it all, so he begun sobriety. He was only 19 years old. This was huge and certainly not easy. An alcoholic? at 19? any 19 year old loves to binge drink regularly? This is true. I was one of those 19 years olds. But Hugo wasn’t, he was different. He had an addiction and a dangerous one. This lost a lot of friends because what else would they do with him now? All they new him for was drinking? so we moved to the Gold Coast to get him away from it all. With attempting casual drinking and slipping up 2 more times, on my 21st birthday, 23rd February 2014, we both started sobriety together. To all people feeling like they are in a similar situation, this would be my main advice….you must do this together. If you want this for them, if you love them, you have to be committed 110%. My second advice which came a couple of months after…..finding them a hobby. Hugo started building furniture, this now consumed his weekends. He started a business and we moved a year ago for him to work for a beautiful local family on the Sunshine Coast at RAW. He is passionate, he is strong willed and he is sober. 4 years. We both are. Not a glass, not a sip, non at all. And it has changed our life. It took 2 years for Hugo to comfortably talk to people about this and be in a social environment with alcohol. Even our wedding day was alcohol free, some would say it was perfect, we certainly thought so. We have added another addition to our family since sobriety, little Luca Jane & she is another reason that our life is so magical. Hugo has recently found another hobby, which will go alongside our future plans and yearly goals. All will be revealed soon. But I can promise you it is worth the wait. If this paragraph has related to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to talk to somebody. I wasn’t Hugo’s only help. We had a lot of people on board to get us through each day. One thing i can promise is, it is possible. We did it and i can confidently say it is so far in the back of our minds these days. We are a team and without Hugo, Luca the Label wouldn’t be where it is today. It isn’t just me behind your screen, but a family, a strong team that is aiming to help show people life can be enjoyed in all its simplicity. Please share this on to friends and family to get awareness out there for youth alcoholism. It is real and it is possible to free.

I love you Hugo, thank you for being you and what you have done for our family xx

Amazing photography by Trina Cary Photography - www.trinacaryphotography.com