This is me 11 years ago. I’d just graduated from The University of Texas at Austin—Hook ‘em Horns! 🤘—with a Master’s degree in Advertising. For a graduation present, my parents bought me a plane ticket to Chile to visit my old college roomie who was living in Concepción with her Chilean beau. Because a single was never enough, I ordered a double one night while … Continue reading Make it a double
I bought this book almost two years ago when I splurged and bought a bunch of sober memoirs from Amazon. I went a bit overboard and ordered so many books I could have easily populated the Sobriety section of any library. I read these books voraciously, stories that could have been my own. But, as with anything done in abundance, I soon got full, my … Continue reading Book review: Blackout
One day shy of nine months of sobriety and I had a BIG hankering for a glass of red wine. You see, Husband and I played tourist for the day and went up to the city (i.e., San Francisco) to see the Ed Hardy exhibit (excellent!) at the de Young. Afterwards, I suggested we have an Italian lunch in North Beach, my favorite neighborhood and … Continue reading To the rescue
Today begins like any other day. I get up at what I used to think was an obscene hour and make myself coffee. I’ve come to love this time of day; it’s still dark, and it’s quiet, because no one else is awake yet, except for the people in the cars I can hear on the expressway. It’s just me, the rising run, the chirping … Continue reading To be or not to be
I always imagined what my life would be like when I turned 40. What I would be like. Not surprisingly, it’s nothing like I’d imagined. I’m not either. I didn’t think I’d be separated, or back to apartment living—definitely not in the ghettoest-ass armpit of an otherwise desirable community—and I sure as HELL didn’t think I’d be sober. I thought my 40th would be one … Continue reading F#ck me I’m 40 (and 7 months sober!)
There was a time when I was curious about sobriety. Although, perhaps it’d be more accurate to say I was curious about whether or not I was an “alcoholic.” Either way, I started to question, really question, my relationship with alcohol. By this time, I’d been drinking—binge drinking—for 25 years. I was in a dark place and it was only getting darker. As dark as … Continue reading Sober certain
Feeling satisfied and happy-tired on a Sunday night. My weekends are longer since I stopped drinking. At least it feels that way. They used to go by lightening fast. And it’s no wonder, I usually spent one of the two days on the couch, hungover AF, and then BAM—Monday. How I used to despise Sundays; head on sideways because of what I’d done to myself … Continue reading Bring life back to your life
200 days ago I was reborn. It wasn’t pretty, much like an actual birth, and I was awkward and gangly, much like a newborn. My skin didn’t fit. I didn’t know who I was. And the world seemed really big and new and scary as all hell. But it was a chance to live again, to get it right. To get me right. Once a … Continue reading #200days
Go to the party. Have fun with friends and family. Watch the fireworks. Eat the BBQ. Celebrate America’s independence, and remember what that means. And bring something non-alcoholic. You don’t have to feel like you’re missing out because you don’t have to miss out. I acknowledge that we are all at different stages in our sobriety, so if sitting this one out IS what’s best … Continue reading Go to the party
Drinking was fun for me and then it wasn’t. It became greedy, taking more than giving. Even so, I drank like a champion throughout my 20s and 30s. And with increasing frequency and secrecy. Drinking for “fun” usually meant: binging until my body physically said “no more” either by puking or passing out (or both), saying and doing stupid shit, blacking out, battling debilitating hangovers, … Continue reading Kids these days
