Addiction

Seven Tools That Kept Me Sober: Addiction, Darkness, and Where the Light Gets In

Twelve years ago today I got sober. I was 27 years old. I’d love to say I chose to get sober on this day, as if in one moment I finally had the wherewithal to make a different choice than I’d been making for so long. It’s that moment of choice that so many people ask about when their loved one is struggling with addiction - what was it for you? How did things finally change? What can I do?

On Matthew Perry, Addiction, and the Stories that Outlive Us

I used to be so afraid of talking about my addiction. For years I'd only disclose it in the confines of recovery meetings, one on one conversations, and if I thought it would help someone struggling. It could have stayed like that. But part of how I got sober was through other people’s stories - even if those people didn’t stay sober themselves.

What Rehab Taught Me About Surviving a Pandemic

Watching life turn upside down has reminded me of another time my world crashed down around me: going to rehab for drug addiction.

Though I’m the first to admit that dumpster fire was entirely my own doing, I can’t help but see some clear parallels between surviving that burn and this one.

Dare I say it, but rehab prepared me for this. And in case it can aid you to, I’d like to share a few parallels I’ve observed.

I Got My Miracle Baby - And I Still Kept Wanting More

I had a pretty scary pregnancy.

There were some abnormalities in Tilly’s fetal development that were what the doctor described as “pink flags.”

At the time we were told that these markers could be nothing OR they could mean the absolute worst thing: not getting to meet her at all.

It's Not Hard To Get Sober: How Recovery from Addiction Showed Me What Else I can Do

All you’ve really gotta do in order to be physically sober is NOT get high, drunk, or generally partake in things that alter your mind or body.

No, the real work when I got clean was examining all the things that made me need to escape my life in the first place:

Live the Life You Should Live: AKA Ditch the Crapball

I spent a lot of time trying to negotiate with my past.

“Maybe if I’d gone to college when everyone else did…”

“Maybe if I’d gone on more auditions in LA…”

“Maybe if I’d turned down the Vicodin Rx that kickstarted my addiction…”