HEY, I'M SHARON
I'm a freelance 3D artist, landscape photographer, and outdoor enthusiast from the UK.
I’m half English, half Romanian, and have always lived in the North of England. I grew up in Chester, spent four years in Sheffield studying Games Design at university, and lived in Liverpool for three years, working my first job as an architectural visualiser. After moving jobs and cities a few times, I’ve called Manchester my home since 2019!
I’ve always been happiest outdoors, even as a child when I spent hours playing tennis every week – but I didn’t get into hiking until after the final lockdown lifted in 2021. Shortly after, I also quit drinking for good, and the rest is history!
My Sober Journey
over the years
For me, going out was a great excuse to get dressed up, feel more 'confident', and get wasted.
I grew up like any ordinary Brit, with drinking widely encouraged as a cultural pastime.
Either on a tennis court or just to bask in the sunshine (living in the UK teaches you not to take a dry sunny day for granted!)
However, most of my outdoor activities took a backseat when I was old enough to start going out.
I've always loved spending time outdoors.
Even though I have many fun nights to look back on, I spent half of every weekend in bed wallowing in self pity, and the amount of times I had a bad experience with booze and did something stupid far outweigh the number of good nights.
From there, I began a 10 year stint of binge drinking every weekend.
I was a bridesmaid for one of my best friends and her wedding had an open bar. Without sounding too dramatic, the next day travelling home I felt like I was dying. My body was in writhing pain and I felt extremely sick. Something about this time hit differently - like my body was crying for help.
My hangovers were steadily getting worse as I got older, and I was starting to feel like I couldn't hack it anymore. This hangover was the final nail in the coffin.
I got drunk for the final time in August 2021.
I started off by exploring more of my own backyard (the Peak District), and eventually branched out to different countries, too.
I’ve also been out to countless bars, weddings, raves, and even the party scene in Ibiza - all while being sober. And now to me, it feels so normal that I couldn't imagine wanting to get drunk again.
I started hiking on the weekends.
