I can recall the exact moment the message appeared in my inbox.
She was a fierce supporter of all women trying to overcome alcohol addiction, and her words empowered me to stand taller in my sobriety. Susan was elated to inform me that an essay I’d written and submitted to her some weeks back would be published in the next issue of Hola Sober magazine But there was more—the issue was coming out within the next twenty-four hours, and she needed to know right away if I wanted to run my photo and full name in the byline. Such simple questions. And yet nothing about this felt simple—my wildly beating heart suddenly a full-blown buffalo stampede inside my chest.
Learning to Recover Out Loud & Proud
It was an early Sunday morning in December—too early for my husband or the kids to be awake yet. I was settled at my desk, savoring the quiet house and still- dark skies outside my window, hoping to manage some writing before the house erupted in its usual weekend trifecta of noise, energy and demands for pancakes. I felt the uptick in my pulse even before I opened the email—it was from Susan Christina, a woman I felt strongly connected to despite the many miles and time zones between us. Since the first time I’d heard Susan share in an online recovery meeting months earlier, I’d been drawn to her powerful energy and message.
By Jennifer Bridgman Photo Courtesy of Jennifer Bridgman
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