Whether you're on it, off it, or somewhere in between
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 […]
When I decided to get sober, I sought help from a recovery program to help me stop drinking. Based on countless “whiteknuckle” attempts at sobriety on my own, I realized I could not do it alone and I needed help. In my desperation, I decided to give a recovery program a try — even though […]
I knew my relationships were going to change when I got sober, and once I learned I could live life without alcohol, I became less focused on drinking or not drinking and more focused on my personal growth. I did not want to be a dry drunk, so I knew that I had to make […]
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 […]
We did it! Winter is over and just like that, it’s the first day of Spring. The days are longer, the weather is warming up and soon enough, the tulips will be blooming. However, for many people in early recovery, the change of seasons can bring about some challenges. After being shut in by the […]
Parades, corned beef, shamrocks, and wearing green are just a few ways people celebrate Ireland’s foremost patron saint, St. Patrick every year on March 17th. But the 40 shades of green and Irish dinner aside, most people mark this holiday with drinking — a lot of drinking. And that’s probably because this holiday is associated […]
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 […]
So you got sober, and now you don’t know how to relax. I didn’t know how to either. If you are anything like me, my substance was involved in every facet of my life. Whatever my mood and whatever the occasion, I drank. So, once the alcohol was gone, I was completely lost. Not only […]
When people first get sober, they often ask, “when will I feel better?” This is a very logical question because when people don’t feel good, they obviously want to feel better. And almost always, early recovery doesn’t feel good and people want to feel better right away. Unfortunately, there’s no straightforward answer to this frequently […]