sober

Social anxiety killing your buzz? Think you get anxious at parties? Try it totally sober. For the first time ever. Here are my hacks to help.

Tindering sober, I was faced with bearing all the uncomfortable feelings without alcohol to take the edge off. Dating is triggering. Emotions are magnified.

It’s summertime and that means an abundance of pool parties, Fourth of July shindigs, and good times spent in the sun. Very often, these celebrations come hand-in-hand with alcoholic beverages. Unfortunately, our drinking habits can have long lasting effects on our health and happiness.

Engagements being the universally stressful occasions that they are, what this has meant is that I’m constantly pushing my fiancé to make wedding-related decisions, and he is constantly having to ask me (nicely and less-nicely) to give it a rest. It all came to a head this past weekend.

How can we combat stigma? One way is to debunk the myths about addiction that currently saturate the public conversation. By breaking down these oppressive narratives, we can create an environment where people aren’t afraid to ask for the help they need to get well from the disease of addiction.

[CN: alcoholism, drug addiction, mention of rape] I want them to know that alcoholism and drug addiction is a disease that they are predisposed to. That it can seriously mess up your life and turn you into a person you don’t want to be. I want them to understand that I am one of the lucky ones to make it out alive, who didn’t have to suffer any major repercussions...

Without a doubt, going to AA meetings saved my life. But after six years of devoted participation, my attendance dwindled until, about a year ago, I stopped going entirely. Contrary to what I was taught when I was in the program, my sobriety’s just fine. You can stay sober without AA — at least, I can. Here’s how I do it.

Shocked, I asked her about my alcoholism, and if she believed she could forgive me. “No,” she said. “I don’t think so.”