Recovering Out Loud
It is not lost on me just how lucky I am to be alive. Recovery takes effort. It’s hard work. It’s scary at first, and uncomfortable, and painful, and some days I just don’t want to do it at all. But I stay, because it works and it is 1,000% worth it. 💜
It’s getting busy in my brain again. I feel a storm coming on, but instead of hail it’s raining ping pong balls inside my head. This might sound ridiculous at first, but can you even imagine? My thoughts, my worries, they bounce around in there for days - ping...ping...ping - It’s a constant barrage of... Continue Reading →
I’ve been feeling like I have writer’s block lately, which is silly because I am not even sure I’ve been putting much effort into writing at all. I’ve been busy and tired and full of excuses. And quite frankly, all this friggin’ self-reflection can be physically and mentally exhausting at times. Other writers have told... Continue Reading →
This was a tough one to stumble upon... I was recently looking back at some of my journal entries from the end of my active addiction. I would sometimes write during my moments of clarity. When I found this particular entry, it brought tears to my eyes. The entry was written just 7 months shy... Continue Reading →
Some days, I am just grateful I made it through. I can experience a range of emotions throughout the day - any one of which could be used as an excuse to drink - and yet somehow I choose not to. It’s a miracle, really. In early recovery, people would tell me that I was... Continue Reading →
I’ve been thinking about this woman I met while volunteering in prison last night. Her story has stuck with me since the moment I left. It’s devastating, humbling and it was such a stunning reminder of just how cunning, baffling and powerful the disease of addiction is. This woman had over a decade in recovery,... Continue Reading →
“Haven’t you had enough yet?” I can’t even tell you how many times I heard that question while I was in active addiction. Everyone in my life who cared about me had at one point pleaded with me to get help - my daughter, parents, husband, siblings, friends. The list could go on. I knew... Continue Reading →
One of the most important things I've learned in recovery thus far: Throughout my life I have always been reaching for things outside of myself - hoping I would find something that would make me happy. If I could just get that job, the husband, the house, the cars, be prettier, be thinner...THEN I would... Continue Reading →
I wanted to share this information with you all, because I think it is incredibly important. When I was 28 years old, I was already experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms from my drinking. At the time, I didn’t realize I was experiencing withdrawals at all. I didn’t even know that there was such a thing as... Continue Reading →
