Evan and I took a sunrise hike this morning. We meandered through a sandy path up a steep hill above the ocean, just as the sun was beginning to come up. The views were stunning. I thought a lot about how this would not have been possible for me in the past on other vacations. For starters, I would have been too hungover and unable to motivate for an early morning hike. But more importantly, I now prioritize these types of activities over drinking. I can recognize the value i

There is nothing more healing than the sounds of the ocean. The way it soothes. Rocks the body to sleep. Stills my thoughts. I find myself staring into the waves, my eyes transfixed by the movement of the sea. The sunrise a mix of purple pink and peach. The wind rustles the palm trees, whipping my salty hair across my face. I am back in the safety of my memories. But also at times, I feel a bit of sadness in these thoughts. I feel trapped at times, as if the mindset of a ten

I keep hearing from people all over to keep writing. Keep sharing my story. And at times, it feels as if the only person I am writing for is me. The only person listening is my subconscious. The only person reading this is me. And that is okay, because it helps anyway. I go back and read my old entries and they keep me grounded. But every now and again, I hear from someone across the country or the world, and it lights a fire in me. It ignites something and keeps me going, ev

In our most recent interview for our podcast, I was talking to our guest about how much fun she has being sober. We talked about how this is often people's biggest fear when contemplating sobriety. I know it was for me. What are your biggest fears behind cutting out alcohol from your life? What is holding you back? I was terrified to quit drinking. It took me a very long time to find the courage to finally stop. Recently, since dry January ended, I know friends who gave alcoh

My anxiety has decreased so much over the last year of my life. I have learned not to think about worst case scenarios and instead try to live in the moment. Instead of future traveling and thinking about all the bad things that could happen, I have become really good at focusing on the here and now. What is in my control? I try to tell myself - it isn't worth getting myself all worked up about illness and accidents, because those things may never actually happen. When you be