Especially if they know that their patterns are like mine. Quite frankly, it’s none of my business how much they drink, but I will be around should they ever wish to talk to me about it. Unfortunately, the stigma of alcohol addiction is still around. Therefore, I understand that for some the idea of sharing their story is a definite no. Be it down to career, family dynamics anything. That is down to the individual, but those people who can’t share, do see us who do. And I believe, the more of us that admit our alcohol history and show that we don’t have two heads and are normal people who have a ‘thing’, the more women we will help. I have never shared my worries over alcohol before. However, this week I did. I was met with love and support and a couple of members divulged that they too had stopped for the same reason. By being open and talking about it in an empowering fashion, the members felt comfortable enough to also share, I hope that others will also now feel like they can talk about it too. If we can just dispel that myth that it is something that we have done wrong, so many lives would be saved. People would not be afraid to even begin to talk about the issue, never mind ask for help. Of course, it may be that they aren’t really asking if I am an alcoholic at all. It could be that I have set the cogs in their brain whirring and they are starting to wonder about their own drinking.
What I find particularly scary is that when people ask me that question, they are obviously using the old standard that we all used to think of when imagining an alcoholic. You know, waking up and drinking alcohol from a brown paper bag rolling around the street drunk, losing everything etc. We know that this is sad reality still for many. However, it is not true for everyone with alcohol issues, and by perpetuating this myth we are stopping people from asking for, or even realising that they need help. And therefore, I have started sharing that I am now sober. I want people to see that someone like me, who was seen mostly as a bit of a party girl, someone who is a laugh to drink with. Had a problem and decided that it was time to stop. I have been a member of a parenting group online for years.
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