Whether you're on it, off it, or somewhere in between
Every year on January 1st, I listen to “New Year’s Day” by U2. The line, “all is quiet, on New Year’s Day” always feels real to me. Something about the holiday has a kind of calm, silent, and weird feeling to it. The madness of the holidays is over (thank god), it still gets dark […]
When I first learned that meditation was considered a key tool for staying sober (especially if you follow a 12-step program), I thought I was doomed. I grew up in New York City. I’ve always felt comfortable in chaos. Silence scares me (or it used to, at least), so I was none too eager to […]
“Radical Acceptance is the willingness to experience ourselves and our lives as it is.” – From Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach, Ph.D. Back in 2011, when I was in my second rehab and freaking out over being there, an addiction counselor told me to practice acceptance. “Acceptance is the answer to all of your problems […]
As a person in recovery, practicing gratitude is a key part of my daily life. It has to be — otherwise, I start to slowly slip back into a self-centered, self-pitying, reckless way of thinking that if left unchecked, will most likely lead me back to the easy-out comfort of my former best friend, vodka. […]
Been on a bender through December? Up for a challenge? Dry January is approaching and anyone can participate. Dry January is a challenge where people voluntarily abstain from drinking alcohol for the entire month of January. Some people participate in Dry January as a healthy way to kick off […]
God, I love smoking. I thoroughly enjoy it, and I don’t want to quit. But I have to – for future Laura. It’s Halloween, 2023, and the eve of my quit date. I’m nervous. I just bought my last pack. A single pack of Marlboro Lights costs $16.00 on Long Island. […]
Until I got sober, it seemed that socializing always revolved around drinking for me. I’d plan to meet friends at the bar on weekends, or I’d go for a boozy brunch on Sundays. Even things like paint night with friends, my kickball league, or simply going to the beach had alcohol programmed into it. And […]