Believe in yourself. Tell yourself that you deserve happiness, joy, success, and a life free from the pain of trauma and addiction. You are worth your recovery.
Tag: Shame
The Perils of Dating While Sober
I am acutely aware of how careful I am to minimize my recovery journey when I first start dating someone.
I Don’t Always Feel Better After a 12-Step Meeting
Why would someone continue to go to something that they don’t always like and don’t feel immediate relief from? I’m playing the long game.
The Most Important Person in the Room
There’s no need to worry about my career, or lack of intimate relationships, or future, or even quitting nicotine. I’m taking it easy, I’m in my first year of sobriety. Every time I relapse I forget I am not God. I am no longer able to allow the darkness to bloom into the grand external… Continue reading The Most Important Person in the Room
Mommy Doesn't Need Wine: The Stigma of Being a Sober Mother
“I’ve always wanted to film the real ‘after party’ when the mom is passed out with her little kid in the background, or she gets into her car and drives drunk. It happens all the time.” When I made the decision to quit drinking, one morning in June 2017 when my relentless hangover was surpassed… Continue reading Mommy Doesn't Need Wine: The Stigma of Being a Sober Mother
How Facebook Helped Me Overcome My Anxiety
More than the actual anxiety was the anxiety about the anxiety. I felt tremendous shame for having negative feelings at all. It was 3pm on a Tuesday, and I was sitting at my desk with my head on my keyboard; I was too revved up to sit still, much less concentrate on work. I was… Continue reading How Facebook Helped Me Overcome My Anxiety
The Walk
I can effectively express two emotions, anger and rage, and if someone fucked with my little girl, they would be getting a double load of both. I hadn’t been back in the free world a month, but I was rolling. This time I was flat, no parole, no PO to fuck with, no fines, nothing.… Continue reading The Walk
Shame, Alcoholism, Stigma, and Suicide
In addiction treatment circles, conventional wisdom suggests we have to let people hit rock bottom before we can help them. But what happens if rock bottom is dying from suicide? Historical records as far back as ancient Athens have the underpinnings of the stigmatization of suicide. In 360 BCE, Plato wrote that those who died… Continue reading Shame, Alcoholism, Stigma, and Suicide
Paramore’s Hayley Williams Pens Powerful Mental Health Essay
“Writing kept me alive. Forced me to be honest. It helped me understand that emotional wellness and physical health are actually related.” Paramore’s lead singer Hayley Williams is taking the shame out of sadness. In the band’s most recent single “Rose-Colored Boy,” Williams sings, “Just let me cry a little bit longer/ I ain’t gon’… Continue reading Paramore’s Hayley Williams Pens Powerful Mental Health Essay
