As you know, 16 years ago, my life was shattered into a million little pieces, and I was left to rebuild every single part of it. It was a grueling process that left me exhausted at times, elated at others, alive and present for it all.
As a woman in long-term recovery, I wear the title of “sober” proudly; it’s something I have earned through days, weeks, months and years of not using the drug of alcohol to silence my fears, quell my insecurities, dull my senses or dim my light. You see, alcohol hid me from myself. It shoved me in a corner and shut me off from my deepest, truest callings.
But wearing my badge proudly wasn’t always the case. For the first decade of my abstinence, I hid behind the truth, pretending away my sobriety with diet and exercise and yoga and kickboxing. Telling “the world” that I was simply a woman who chose not to drink.
And in some ways, that was true. I did make a choice; a decision. But by denying people my whole story, my real truth, I abandoned those who could have used my voice to feel less alone, less “other”; the same way I’d felt for so long.
Alcohol showed me who I’m not, and being able to thrive in recovery has been the greatest blessing of my life. I believe that without the dark, we can’t see the light, and I needed my addiction to help peel away the layers of myself, leaving me with a much real-er, raw-er version; one I had been terrified to know but for whom I’ve grown to love.
Quitting drinking was the greatest act of bravery for this scared-shi*less woman who placed my entire worth on what others thought of me. Getting sober taught me about values and self-respect and boundaries and real beauty and I am incredibly grateful for my experience.
Ditching my drug of choice also rendered me part of an exclusive club; a motley crew of the biggest badasses I have ever known. People who struggled to fit in from an early age and who used booze and other drugs to quiet the voices in their heads telling them “You’re never going to be good enough”, and, “You don’t deserve love.” People who pushed beyond their limiting beliefs and ran marathons and companies and families and organizations and who supported causes and initiatives and who worked their butts off all while battling their demons and hiding their secret from the world. People you’d never have suspected and others you may have worried about. People–fallible human people–who realized that their lives were out of control and that their drug of choice was never the glue that held them together but rather the battle axe that tore them apart.
The shame I felt for so long prevented me from joining this club.
I hid in the shadows, not wanting anyone to know the truth about me, sharing it only through gritted teeth with those who had to know, cutting off this part of my life and trying to create a whole new one with this piece of me simply…amputated.
But when I finally appreciated the incredible act of bravery that is getting sober, and when I finally started speaking out about my journey, my pathway and my process, I got to include myself in this amazing tribe.
Today, I want to pay it forward. I want to thank the many people in recovery who spoke out–even in the early, shaky days–because they knew that sharing their story might help others suffering. Sharing their stories allowed me to believe it was safe to share mine.
In a new project that Roger and I have just launched called Sobriety Starts HERE, we share the stories of these badasses who have overcome addiction and gone on to do incredible things in their lives.
We want anyone who feels alone and scared and wondering what it’s like to get–and stay–sober to have access to the people who have been there; to help those suffering navigate their path…to freedom.
If this speaks to you, then we are your people…and you are ours.
Head over to SobrietyStartsHERE.com and check out the video interviews with all sorts of amazing people who are thriving in their lives…SOBER.
Because I want you to love your life one bite at a time.
P.S. This quote comes from Sarah Hepola’s powerful book, Blackout: Remembering The Things I Drank To Forget: “I’m not sad or embarrassed to be an alcoholic anymore. I get irritated when I hear parents use that jokey shorthand: God, I hope my kid doesn’t end up in rehab. Or: God, I hope my kid doesn’t end up in therapy. I understand the underlying wish — I hope my kid grows up happy and safe.
When we say things like that, though, we underscore the false belief that people who seek help are failures and people who don’t seek help are a success. It’s not true. Some of the healthiest, most accomplished people I know went to both rehab and therapy, and I’ve known some sick motherfu*kers who managed to avoid both.”
~Sarah Hepola
P.P.S. Want some goodness to show up in your inbox daily? Then I hope you'll sign up to my 14 Days of Wellness! Simply enter your name and email address to begin receiving positive daily intentions around your mental and physical health. It's free, with no diets, products, challenges or catches...just a chance to remember how amazing your brain--and body is--for 14 days.
P.P.P.S. Speaking of brains and bodies, on April 21 & 22, 2018, Roger and I, along with our team, are hosting The Healthy Brain and Body Show in Ottawa for a second year. We are so excited to bring this show back even bigger and better! We would love to see you there as an attendee, where we have so much we want to share with you. We can't wait to explore, connect, learn and shop at the show WITH you! Please say hello if you come. Roger and I will both be there the entire weekend. It would be a thrill to meet you. 🙂
We can't WAIT to serve you, so remember to save the date!
P.P.P.P.S. Let’s be friends! I’d love to connect on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram. Plus, if you haven’t already subscribed to my blog, you should! That way, you won’t miss anything. Plus, as a thank you for joining, you will receive my 14 Days of Wellness. https://sarahtalksfood.com/
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