Hello. My name is Becky, and Waking Up Happy is something I have been building for years. Alcohol has been part of my life since forever. I didn't question it until my forties, by which point I was drinking too much on a regular basis. Most weekends came with a hangover and some form of regret; for something I'd said or done, or just for waking up feeling awful again. I reached out for help. My GP told me I should drink a bit less. The charity I contacted told me that, as I wasn't clinically dependent, there was nothing they could do. Had I tried drinking a bit less? I really wanted someone to give me some support, but I felt alone, helpless, and ashamed. After a lot of reading and self-development I eventually stopped drinking, because, for me, it was easier than trying to moderate. That was four years ago. Re-evaluating alcohol's place in my life changed my relationship with myself and my children. I sleep through the night. Anxiety doesn't trouble me. The weird red blotches that used to appear on my skin have gone. I have more money and more self-respect. I could go on. You would imagine that I would be shouting this from the rooftops. Instead, I feel like I have actually been gatekeeping something that has had such a significant benefit. Why? Because alcohol holds such a strange place in our society. We can laugh about what we did drunk, or moan about having a sore head, but we can never admit to having a problem without feeling the shame. According to the Health Survey for England, 21% of women aged 45-64 drink above the recommended limit of 14 units a week. That is more than 1 in 5. Yet it feels like there is no easy way to talk about it, especially when you feel it might be affecting your life. When I heard about Skool, I thought it might be the perfect place to start a community for women like me. A place where women can come because they want to, and where the only rule is that we listen and we don't judge. If that sounds like something you want to be part of please come on in!