With a trembling hand you hit the send button. You have officially just let the world, or at least all your Facebook friends, which at times can feel like the world, know this thing about you. Shit. What have you done. Should you quickly delete the post in the hopes that, over the span of the past 30 seconds, no one noticed it. Or do you wait. Wait for the questions that inevitably will come. Because they will come. Everyone wants THE STORY.
My story, unfortunately, is not unique. But I thought I was. I thought I was the only one who could not have just that one glass of wine. I thought I was the only one who stressed when the bottle ran low. I was so wrong. How do I know? Because I began listening to other people’s stories. These stories told me I was not alone. And that, my friends, made all the difference.
As for all the questions:
The big “A” word looms large. Am I an alcoholic. Such a loaded question and for me, I believe, an unnecessary one. I choose abstinence because alcohol was negatively impacting my life. There was no major incident or trauma. But there very well could have been if I continued on the path I was on. Alcohol is an addictive substance, albeit a legal one. If you drink it enough you will become addicted, no ifs ands or buts about it. End of story.
Everything Else You Should Know
At 223 days alcohol free I am by no means an expert. Everything I write is solely my opinion and experience. But at 223 days alcohol free I do know a thing or two about navigating through life after getting rid of the thing you use to use to navigate through life. Here are some things you should know about the newly sober:
- We may leave events early. Do not take this personal.
- We drink Lacroix and Pellegrino as if we are in a desert and it is our last beverage.
- Expect us to cry at anything remotely sad. Or happy. Or just because it’s a Tuesday and the sun happens to be shining.
- We are not glass. We will not break. In fact we are pretty damn strong . So if you see us out walking our dog or in the grocery store, don’t feel the need to walk on tippy toes around us. Give us a hug. Or even better, give us a high five and say you are a freakin badass for doing this thing!
We all have a story. So tell your story. Let your story liberate you. You are not alone.
