Our Story on Why We Quit Drinking!

Drinking alcohol together in Costa Rica

Our wake-up call happened on a trip to Costa Rica. We fell in love with Costa Rica, and on our last night, we didn’t want it to end.

But instead of making beautiful memories, we both blacked out, couldn’t remember how we got back to our Airbnb, and put ourselves in danger. That night also ended in a huge argument — one we only remember fragments of. From the outside, people would tell us we were the dream couple, that we were inspiring people in love. But the truth was, alcohol was didn't always reflect that side of our relationship.

We had some ugly fights behind closed doors often without clarity of why we were upset and enough was enough.

We realized we had a choice: either quit drinking and work on our relationship sober, or keep going down the same destructive path and risk losing it all. So on February 11th 2022 we decided to make a change.

We chose each other.

Sobriety gave us clarity.

Our communication got stronger, our connection deepened, and for the first time in a long time, we were learning and growing instead of numbing and avoiding.

For Xiomara, drinking used to mean shutting down whenever she was triggered. She’d forget what bothered her and never speak up to work through it. Without alcohol, she could finally face challenges, speak up, and move forward.

​​We both took different approaches to our sobriety. Patrick joined AA in the beginning for structure and support, while Xiomara dove into books and joined an online community that made her feel empowered instead of ashamed.

Taking different approaches showed us that there isn’t just one “right” way to do this — and it also opened our eyes to how much stigma still exists around not drinking. It made us want to create more positive, empowering spaces for alcohol-free living.​

Now, living alcohol-free feels like second nature. Sure sometimes we have our moments but as time goes on it gets easier and it’s just who we are.

Our relationship is better than ever, and our family has grown with our newest AF little member, Zen!

​Quitting alcohol was the best decision we’ve ever made. It gave us back our connection, our health, and our joy. That’s why we're so passionate about helping people like you find the same freedom and happiness.

After all, this isn’t just our story — it’s your alcohol free journey too.

Love from the AF couple