Whether you're on it, off it, or somewhere in between
As the little sister to an enormous Phish fan, I have been dragged to many Phish shows. Like many diehard fans, she has followed the band all around the country, clocking in over 80 shows in the past 25 years. Due to my sister’s undying love and devotion to the band, I have come to […]
Even though alcohol is considered a social substance, many people who become dependent on it find themselves feeling alone. When my drinking was at its worst, I could be in a room surrounded by people and still feel absolutely isolated. Active alcoholism kept me separate from my friends and family, my hobbies, my work, and […]
Five years ago, a medical scare got me sober from alcohol and on my 150th day alcohol-free, I relapsed. I had a family trip to Ireland on the horizon which I was anxious about, and I decided I couldn’t be sober during that trip. So three weeks ahead of it, I drank. After that relapse, […]
I never thought I had much of a sweet tooth. So when I stopped drinking, I was surprised at the amount of cookies, candy, and ice cream I was plowing through each day, particularly at night. I couldn’t seem to get enough sugar, which was odd considering I typically passed on dessert. Many people who […]
At the age of 18, I entered my first relationship. I was head-over-heels for this dude and in love with being in love. 9 months later, he dumped me for another chick — and I completely lost my mind. I became the crazy ex-girlfriend. I would call him several times a day even though he […]
I set out to write about my experience at inpatient detox, hoping it would encourage or inspire people to go to detox if they were considering taking the leap. However, after having written a draft, I was fearful my story would dissuade someone from going — because my experience was not great. So, I tossed […]
Many times throughout my drinking career, I tried to sober up, and each time I had the dilemma of when to tell people. It was really nobody’s business but my own, but for whatever reason, I felt the need to tell people right away. Maybe I wanted to hold myself accountable, or perhaps it was […]
For anyone with alcohol use disorder, quitting drinking can feel like a daunting prospect. While early recovery can be uncomfortable and it may seem like progress is slow, the healing begins as soon as the drink is put down. Aside from heavy hitters like lower risk of cancer, heart, and liver disease (and for some, […]
The thought of getting sober petrified me, so I continued drinking for a long time to avoid a horrifying unknown. How would I live without alcohol? I couldn’t imagine life without it and I was convinced that my life would be over if I gave it up. But that’s what being addicted to a substance […]
When I had my first drink at the age of 16, I didn’t know that I would become gravely addicted to the substance I was experimenting with. But I had received warnings, including the following advice from my mother to discourage my nail-biting habit: “People with oral fixations become alcoholics. Don’t drink.” But other than […]
The vast majority of my close friends and family knew that I suffered from alcoholism, for obvious reasons. So when I sobered up, I heard “I’m proud of you” a lot. And while my family and friends meant it as a respectful acknowledgment of my accomplishment, it always felt patronizing and dirty to hear early […]