AINYF SHORTS
Break the Silence: Sharing Your Journey to Sobriety May Help Another
Gather your courage and speak up — you’ll be helping yourself, too.
Three years ago, I began writing on Medium. I was nervous yet excited to pass on what I’d learned and experienced by this time — the Third Third of my life.
Several months into writing, I put my shame aside, gathered my courage, and allowed vulnerability to emerge.
I shared the story on AINYF of my alcohol abuse and struggle to quit drinking.
After receiving positive responses, I wrote again, sharing more details.
The more I wrote about my drinking history, the better I felt. I kept writing, and others began to reveal their struggles with alcohol, too.
People thanked me for sharing. They expressed how my articles inspired them.
Did I inspire someone by telling them about my sometimes disgraceful drinking episodes? This was shocking to me and also a relief.
When I’m at an event where alcohol is served (as in everywhere) and am asked why I’m not drinking, I tell the truth.
I admit that I wanted more from my life. I had much I wanted to accomplish and explore, and alcohol was holding me back.
The truth is I realized alcohol was harming me more than it was helping, and the time had come for me to free myself from these ties to ethanol.
When asked how I quit — I gave them the details.
By disclosing, I helped others while helping myself.
This quote is attributed to Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous — “In order to keep it, you have to give it away.”
It is now one of the mottos of AA. I’ve only attended two AA meetings; both were several years after quitting, and I heard this quote both times.
It is a variation of what The Course in Miracles teaches — “giving it is how I keep it.”
I’ve been on this planet for many decades, and this idea is not new to me. I know you’ve experienced it, too.
However, it is one of those minor actions with major results that we often don’t consider.
There’s still a significant amount of stigma surrounding addiction. Many believe that only weak people become addicted. Or that addiction is a choice.
Drinking was a choice — addiction not. Addiction had a hold on us.
Sharing your story can be a powerful way to help others who want to escape their alcohol misuse.
By telling our stories, we help reduce that stigma.
It’s essential that drinkers who want to quit know they’re not alone in their struggles. All of us who have found sobriety went through many of the same feelings they’re experiencing now.
It’s also critical to remember that everyone’s journey is different. What worked for me, or what helped you, may not help another.
According to an article in The Guardian:
Sharing your story can be a way to help others understand the power of alcohol and how it can take over your life. It can also be a way to connect with others who are going through similar struggles and to find support and encouragement.
Sharing your story is your decision. Do so only if you feel comfortable. Do not be coerced if you are uneasy.
If you decide to share your alcohol abuse experience, be honest, open, and ready to listen to others.
When my friend Candace wanted to know why and how I quit, I told her that my life was getting smaller, and I wanted it to be more expansive. I wanted to write, paint, and learn to play pickleball, and these dreams were not happening while I was drinking nightly.
She also felt that she wasn’t accomplishing many of the goals she had set for herself.
Candace and her husband decided to give sobriety a try. They left it open-ended — to see how they liked it.
They have been alcohol-free for over two years. Yes, they like it!
It’s been proven that sharing your story is crucial to attaining sobriety. It is also a way to bond with others going through the process of quitting alcohol.
Don’t exaggerate or minimize. Be honest by sharing your truth and vulnerability.
Bestow an act of kindness to another; you may find this is also a way to be kind to yourself.
We can inspire one another.
You will feel the unexpected joy that costs you nothing except sharing a bit of yourself, your struggles, and your success.
Be generous, be caring, and give encouragement and support freely — not to get it back but because it feels so darn good.
What better time of year than during these holidays to share ourselves and embrace others?
Let’s try it and see what happens.