I am feeling excited for a few different reasons. First and foremost, the kids are back in school. I hate to say it like that, but it's true. In this house, we thrive off of routine and there is just no way around it. We need consistency. My kids behave best when they are on a schedule, and mama is happiest when she has some alone time. Then, we can all come together and be the best versions of ourselves. Today, I have been alone most of the day. And I'm thriving. I have been

I was recently asked how to stop drinking but your husband still drinks. What do we do? This can be one of the trickiest parts of sobriety. Speaking from my own experience, I don't think I would have had the motivation to ever make a change if I didn't have the support from my husband. By that I mean, my husband was the one gently nudging me in the direction to look in the mirror. In recent years, he was the one that was encouraging me to try to drink less and consider what I

I am not sure why this random Friday evening in August is suddenly making me feel nostalgic about my drinking days, but this particular late afternoon I felt sad for some reason. Out of nowhere, it hit me. This specific day is just feeling hard. Suddenly, randomly, I am annoyed about the fact that I can't drink like a normal person. I am resentful that I have a nasty relationship with alcohol, and I'm bitter that I can't have just one drink. I feel downright disappointed in m

A friend said to me recently, "Can you imagine the 'you' of two years ago getting a sneak peak at what you're up to now?" That comment made me stop for a moment and feel so many things. I was like - wow. That's a wild thought. And ultimately after some reflection, I felt so grateful to be where I am right now. I really never would have believed I would be here today. Writing! About SOBRIETY! Putting myself out there for others to read about. It truly brings me joy just knowin

A reader asked me recently how you forgive yourself for letting your husband and kids down when you were drinking. How do you move past feeling so terrible about yourself knowing you so royally screwed up for so many years? How do you move forward, knowing you hurt the most important people in your life? There is no simple answer, but it obviously takes forgiveness, willingness and a lot of self-compassion. I worked with my therapist on the self-compassion piece for a long ti

I spent last weekend with my four month old niece, who happens to be the most precious and beautiful baby on this planet. I'm not biased or anything. I always loved the baby stage with my own kids, unlike my husband, who never knew what to do with our children when they were tiny. He liked holding them once they were fast asleep, but he was never really comfortable with them when they were that small. I, on the other hand, loved every moment when they were babies. All three o

Do you ever feel like you're walking along through this thing called life and everything seems to be going pretty well. You're getting by. Thriving some days, surviving others. Then suddenly, you hear a song or you see a person or catch a scent that instantly sends you on a trip down memory lane? That can be fun sometimes and enjoyable, but it can actually be rather hard for a sober person to experience. Recently, it happened to me with a song on the radio. Music often brings