Recently, I found myself repeatedly exposed to the idea that, for the alcoholic, learning to live sober is like learning how to breathe underwater. Taking a drink was like coming to the surface for air, a deep refreshing breath. That way of living was killing me....
“Do I have enough vodka to get through the day?” This was always the question before I got sober. If the answer was “yes,” I could focus on the little things like, what were my son and I going to have for dinner that day, or did I have an exam that day that I needed...
My coworker sent me this video the other day. A lawyer was in an online hearing and there was a “filter” on his camera, meaning the computer was making him appear to be a talking cat to the other people in the meeting. He didn’t know how to turn off...
I lost one of my best friends recently. Sugar. Sugar has been there for me every day since I got sober from alcohol. In early sobriety, in rehab, I couldn’t get enough of Tootsie Rolls. Those little individually wrapped brown chunks of bliss. At one point, I had my...
2020 was a heck of a year, wasn’t it? My favorite commercials were the ones where 2020 is a woman who meets Satan on Match.com. So apropos!! But guess what? If you’re reading this, you made it through it. For some of you, your recovery program is stronger than...
In Part One of this series, I gave you Melody Beattie’s definition of codependency from her book, “Codependent No More.” She says, a codependent person is someone “who has let someone else’s behavior affect him or her, and is obsessed with controlling...
In my first 30 days of sobriety, women supported me by picking me up from rehab and taking me to meetings. At one of these meetings, I recall being rather proud of myself for sharing my thoughts with the table. During my share, I expressed how my 8-year-old and I were...
I’m sitting in the pick-up line at my son’s elementary school four years ago. I arrived really early so I had some time to do some sponsor suggested reading. I had gotten through a couple chapters when a light came on in my head. The realization was as...
I spent my first holiday in recovery in rehab. The structure of living in a recovery facility made it simple to stay sober. (Notice, I didn’t say “easy.”) I was surrounded by people in recovery. I went to meetings 2-3 times a day. I was fed at...
45 women gathered at Weber’s on Sunday, February 12, 2017 to celebrate these successes and enjoy each other’s company.