Take the Long Way Home

I want to get sober and more importantly, I want to stay sober for the rest of my life. And I sort of know how. I mean, I’ve been trying and failing for the last 15 years to do just that (although I like to think of these efforts as “practicing”). Every time I tried, I managed to slow my descent for a little bit, move out of my rut, and then fall back into drinking (sometimes in new and rather spectacularly bad ways for me). But along with every failure, I gained tools and insights into what I needed in order to achieve long-term sobriety.

However, I’d like to say right off the bat that if I’d ignored my stupid pride and gotten real help from professionals the moment I knew I had a problem, I could have gotten to this point so much faster. If I could go back and talk to my 30-year old self, I would say to her, “Fuck what everyone else thinks. Take care of yourself. Get the help you need and be PROUD that you did. Do not let other people’s opinions dictate the the amount of misery in your life.”

This blog is not a how-to manual into becoming sober. I am not a doctor, a nurse, a therapist or a counselor. I have no subject matter expertise except about my own experiences. I know nothing about you and your journey. I would say again, if you think you need professional help, go get it. Right now. Trust me, you’ll thank me later. But I also understand the resistance many of us feel about that. So I’m going to share my journey with you in the hope that some of the tools I use help you in your own recovery process. There is no judgement here – only hope for a better future for all of us who are trying our damndest to slay our drinking demons. Here’s to our success, as best as we can today.