Aching with Adventure

Written by Alice Hansen

Sunday Mornings. I’ve had a few absolute crackers in my time. I’ve fallen asleep in a New York departure lounge. I’ve been found curled up on the doorstep as a 16-year-old, my mother’s finest heels frost-covered in the backyard. I’ve even woken to find myself in a friends’ unheated hot tub, having been unable to navigate their front door keyhole.

As much as I can giggle at some past Sundays, grateful the worst were punctuated with lost IPhones and crumpled dignity only, I wouldn’t trade one for my current Sundays. McDonalds drive throughs have been replaced with canyoning in world-heritage Tassie wilderness, movie watching until dusk has been tossed aside for mountain sunrises with my father.

To say Hello Sunday Morning has transformed my life, is to understate its impact. When I stumbled across this website that depicted ‘staying off booze’ in a positive, fun light I nearly had to cheers a mate in celebration. This Chris Raine fellow had seemingly created a platform that could shift attitudes embedded for generations.

Some 263,000 Sundays hangover free and counting? That’s simply staggering. Finally there appeared a community that, dare I say, almost portrayed ‘being sober as cool.’ No stigma, no demonising alcohol, simply a suggestion to take a break and see how it makes you feel.

What’s HSM done for me? It’s made me passionate about giving back to this HSM community and reignited a creative fire inside. It’s helped me transform from a wobbly foal at the local bar, to someone standing on two strong feet. It’s given me confidence to leave my job and work on my seventh book, a little tale I’ve titled Water Break, detailing my own HSM journey.

Each week of the year I’m committing to a new fun-filled experience to dance across its pages, ranging from the Melbourne Marathon and climbing Cradle Mountain in moonlight to feeding the less fortunate. Life is short and I’ve wasted plenty of Sundays deep in a bag of chicken twisties. I figure wearing my HSM T-shirt and frolicking about the country partaking in outrageous adventure is a splendid way to make up lost time and encourage others to hop aboard.

Spreading the word is the least I can do for Chris and his team; we’ll be a better nation for it and have bloody fun along the way! Happy Sunday Morning to you.