Return to Sender: What An Unsent Postcard Taught Me About Addiction

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Has anything ever happened to you, so expertly timed, that it made you doubt it was mere coincidence? This past summer I had such an eerily aligned experience. I found a postcard from my twenty-five-year-old self—a greeting that I’d written and addressed to my friend in Paris, sandwiched here instead, within a box of blank postcards. No postage, never mailed. Reading it now, 29 years later, I felt inspired to articulate the emotions sparked by that 4”x 6” card. I am honored to now present Return to Sender: What an Unsent Postcard Taught Me about Addiction, my first piece published in Beautiful Hangover.

What Happened When I Spent Christmas Eve in a Basement with a Crazy Cat

Photo by Dorien Monnens on Unsplash

It was Christmas Eve, 2013, and I was scooping poop from a litter box in my neighbors’ basement. Leticia and Dana had rescued a feral kitten whose new habitat extended from the hot water heater to the washer/dryer. Although it was icy outdoors and toasty within, this foster feline wasn’t buying into her rehabilitation. But I was. I was three months sober. That’s how my piece for the now dismantled Fix starts. If you’re curious to read how I got through that holiday season newly separated from my husband while also recommitting to my recovery from alcohol, you can read the rest here.

Sober Reflections from the Dance Floor

Photo by Ivan Aleksic on Unsplash

“I got sober here almost thirty years ago. That’s what struck me last December 31, as I danced my butt off in the basement of St. Anthony of Padua’s Roman Catholic Church on Sullivan Street in New York City, welcoming in the New Year with a mob of sober drunks. Yes, here I was dancing under the influence of something more heady than Moet this New Year’s Eve, surrounded by mylar waterfall curtains, and the familiar pull down shades of AA’s Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, changing color with every turn of the disco ball.” That’s how my piece for the now dismantled The Fix starts. If you’re curious to know why I find it so satisfying to move to the beat—clean and sober—you can read the rest at Sober Reflections from the Dance Floor.

Truth or Consequences

I’m noticing that I’ve been doing some pretty pathetic petty larceny lately, stone cold sober. Here’s a little read on why taking a look at this bad behavior—and doing something about it—matters to me, and to my sobriety. Feel free to add your two cents. Thanks!

5 Messes I've Had to Clean Up in Recovery

The Fix was a website covering all things addiction and recovery. It was a great resource for the addict, offering breaking news, exclusive interviews, investigative reports and blogs on sober living and lifestyle. Unfortunately The Fix is is currently dismantled, but hopefully the editors are just taking a break and it will be back up and running soon! Go here to gape at some unsober spills I’ve made in the first half of the year, how I’ve mopped them up, and my strategy to be less emotionally sloppy in the second half of 2019. Thanks for the read!

11 Ways to Heal A Broken Heart in Recovery

The Fix was a website covering all things addiction and recovery. It was a great resource for the addict, offering breaking news, exclusive interviews, investigative reports and blogs on sober living and lifestyle. The Fix is currently dismantled, but hopefully the editors are just taking a break and it will be up and running again real soon! In this piece from The Fix is my take on how you get past the corner bar as you get past a bad break-up.  Thanks for reading!