Name: Jill Age: 46 Location: NJ Recovery Date: September 5, 2016 Recovering From: Alcohol About Jill: Mom of 2 daughters, bartender, wine drinker. Finally had enough of black-outs, embarrassments, and making excuses. Q. Before you entered recovery, what did you think the “thing” you were addicted to gave you, did for you, etc.? A. Escape, […]
How Living In The Present Is Giving Me A Future
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been living in the future. A fantasy future. Acting as if the life I imagine I deserve will magically appear if I pretend I already have it. I don’t remember when I started living this way. College, maybe? Tail end of high school? It’s bitten me in […]
Voice of Recovery: Jackie
Here it is! My first “Voices of Recovery” feature for National Recovery Month 2017. Before I post the Q&A, just a little note about Jackie. She is an incredible woman who has been commenting on my blog posts, offering her own experience, encouraging me, cheering me on, and supporting me practically since day one. I […]
The Simple Truth About Being An Authentic Fraud
Ever since I started writing about my alcoholism and sobriety and recovery, I’ve received a lot of praise from people congratulating me not only for acknowledging and battling my addiction but also for being brave and courageous and honest and truthful in the way I tell my story. While I appreciate their kindness and respect […]
Dear Sugar: It’s Not You; It’s Me (And, I Don’t Want to Stay Friends)
Dear Sugar, We need to talk. Yes, it’s serious. You should probably sit down. I’m sure you noticed I haven’t been looking for you at all this month. Did you wonder where I went? Well, I need you out of my life. Really. You’re such bad news and you’ve brought me nothing but heartache. I […]
If We Replace Alcohol with Sugar, Have We Really Conquered Addiction?
A reader wrote to me and asked a great question about replacing one addiction with another, specifically replacing booze with sugar. Below, is her question, followed by my response. Hello, I saw a link to something you wrote about how your relationship to food seemed now more of a struggle than the one with alcohol. […]
From Facebook to NYC: Cyber-Sober Movement Comes to Life
As I mentioned in a post I wrote back in March, over the past two plus years, I have worked hard not to link the business me to the recovery me. In that piece, I connected the dots because my business was turning 10, a milestone made possible by my sobriety. It was terrifying. But, […]
How a Big Mess Delivered the Serenity I Needed
Earlier today, I ended a two-and-a-half week hiatus from recovery/sobriety writing and social media sharing/engagement. Something has been missing for me, and I didn’t know what it was. What I did know was that I was looking on social media for whatever I had lost (or never had to begin with) — constantly scrolling through […]
No One Likes a Complainer, But Here’s the Thing
I’m being tested. We’re always being tested, I guess. But the past couple of months have been a little bit extra trying. At least in my world. I’ll qualify that statement. We have a home, albeit small and in need of several repairs and renovations. We have groceries, and I can even afford to buy […]