We Are Miracles, Too! – 

MARCH 2, 2020 – I just don’t think the labels are very helpful. Nobody hears the word “addict” or “alcoholic” and thinks something positive, or even neutral. Those words carry with them an entire story, and usually a lot of judgment and shame. To me, addiction is something I have experienced, but it’s not who I am. Also, the labels make it seem like addiction is something that belongs to only a few people, when in reality, it’s a built-in part of the human condition. While not everyone will experience alcohol addiction like I did, we are all addicted to something. 

Forget forever is actually quite in line with Alcoholics Anonymous’s aphorism “one day at a time.” I found that the word “forever” filled me with such despair in the beginning because I just wasn’t in a place to imagine the rest of my life without alcohol. So I just promised myself I wouldn’t drink that day, and that was it. It was the smallest of shifts but it changed everything for me, because it kept me in the moment.

@Westword