7 Reasons To Come Out Of the Addiction Closet

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7 Reasons To Come Out Of the Addiction Closet

I guess it's not any secret that I am not anonymous when it comes to talking about my addiction and paths I've taken to recovery. Sometimes it's not all sunshine and rainbows and putting yourself out there can invite hurtful comments or questions. Despite this, I'm a big advocate for breaking the stigma of addiction, living your truth, and coming out of the addiction closet. I am loud and proud about my struggles and it has given me freedom. Below is a list of 7 reasons why you may want to break your anonymity and come out of the addiction closet.

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Alcoholism, A Spiritual Sickness

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Alcoholism, A Spiritual Sickness

Lately I've been thinking a lot about my spirituality. The concept of spirituality is new to me. I didn't grow up in any type of church or religion and most of the time I consider myself to be borderline atheist. I guess I always associate religion with God and those two things have caused so much fighting and heartache in the world, I never understood people's deep connection to it. Spirituality wasn't something I ever thought about in the past or even considered for myself. I assumed it wasn't for me.

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Should You Drink Non-Alcoholic Beers?

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Should You Drink Non-Alcoholic Beers?

Lately I've been thinking a lot about my spirituality. The concept of spirituality is new to me. I didn't grow up in any type of church or religion and most of the time I consider myself to be borderline atheist. I guess I always associate religion with God and those two things have caused so much fighting and heartache in the world, I never understood people's deep connection to it. Spirituality wasn't something I ever thought about in the past or even considered for myself. I assumed it wasn't for me.

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This Halloween Take Off Your Mask

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This Halloween Take Off Your Mask

Yesterday I read a beautiful and moving Huffington Post article by a woman named Mary Moss about her struggle with online dating as a woman with an obvious physical disability and as a single mother to a transgender teen. You can read her article here. It touched on many different aspects of this woman's life, most notably removing your 'personal mask' while dating - putting your baggage on the table for the other person to see.

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My First Face-To-Face AA Meeting

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My First Face-To-Face AA Meeting

No hell didn't freeze over!! but... Last night, I finally - after 1 year, 5 months, and 14 days sober - attended my first face-to-face AA meeting. It hasn't been a secret that my thoughts about AA have been a bit wishy-washy. When I first got sober I attended some online AA meetings and I just felt really out of touch. People in the online rooms always told me that I wouldn't get or stay sober if I didn't go to f-2-f meetings, believe in a higher power, work the steps, or get a sponsor. I didn't want to be told what to do or how to do it and I left the online meetings and email chains and never looked back. I have to admit I had a bad taste in my mouth about AA. I also consider myself agnostic and couldn't relate to the faith based mentions of God in AA, as well as surrendering yourself to being powerless against alcohol. Naturally, I avoided AA. I had friends and family tell me I should go and in the back of my mind I thought maybe I will one day, but until yesterday I had never made time for it.

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Why Must I Feel Feelings?

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Why Must I Feel Feelings?

I have to admit one of the hardest parts about sobriety is feeling feelings. I think a lot of addicts, myself included, are trying to numb something when they drink or use drugs. They are trying to numb pain or just trying to not feel anything at all. I didn't even realize I was doing this until I stopped drinking. All of the sudden I was hit with all these emotions and no tools to deal with them.

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9 Thoughts A Sober Girl Has At The Club

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9 Thoughts A Sober Girl Has At The Club

This past weekend I was in Atlantic City, NJ (the Vegas of the east coast) for my sister's bachelorette party. Because I am the maid of honor, it was up to me to plan the best shindig possible for my bestie. I knew we would be hitting the club and dropping it like it's hot to some sweet house music because I know that's what my sis likes. There wasn't much mental preparation for me going into this sober because I am getting used to the fact that I will never be drinking again. I was excited to get dressed up, hear good music, dance, and have a great time with my sister. We went to a few different clubs and bars, and I had quite a few funny thoughts along the way. From these thoughts I complied a list of 9 thoughts a sober girl has at the club.

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My First Marketing Conference Ever - Inbound 2014

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My First Marketing Conference Ever - Inbound 2014

If you follow along with my Facebook page, you probably saw that this week was a crazy one for me because I was in Boston at a marketing conference for work. I've already touched on the fact that I have been loving my new job and how happy I am to be learning about inbound marketing. Well this conference just took it to another level.

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Am I an Alcoholic?

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Am I an Alcoholic?

Dun dun dun.... the dreaded question. Well I know it's not so dreaded for some of you. Some of you already know that you are alcoholics or addicts and have become empowered by accepting this fact.Me on the other hand, I am still struggling with these labels. Maybe it's because I don't attend AA and I'm not forced to get in front of a group and say out loud every day, "My name is Kelly and I'm an alcoholic" or maybe I'm still in denial.

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National Recovery Month September 2014

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National Recovery Month September 2014

I happily stumbled upon a Facebook post last week that told me September is National Recovery Month. I clicked on the website and read about this wonderful month of awareness and immediately started promoting it. What's not to love? A whole month dedicated to raising awareness about recovery from drug and alcohol addictions and another platform to be vocal about being sober. To continue this awareness I'm going to outline what recovery month is and what it means to me.

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Latino Food in Southwest Florida

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Latino Food in Southwest Florida

So I haven't written about food in awhile and we all know how much I love FOOD! This post is dedicated to Latino food in Southwest Florida. Obviously, because Fer is addicted to tacos and anything Mexican or similar, and I get a hankering for a pastor taco here and there, we have been on the hunt for a great Mexican place here in Cape Coral. We've tried a couple places and here's what we think:

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Sober Paranoia

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Sober Paranoia

I've noticed since I got sober there has been this small inner sense of paranoia that comes and goes frequently. Paranoia about what? About touching alcohol or being seen with it, near it, etc. When I'm out at restaurants or bars and I order a non-alcoholic drink, virgin daiquiri, or whatever, I always abnormally fear that they will accidentally put the alcohol in! I overcompensate by saying WITHOUT alcohol, or make sure I am speaking exceptionally loud so that the waiter will hear me correctly. Is this fear irrational? I think so, but I can't make it go away! haha.

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Having a Partner Who Drinks

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Having a Partner Who Drinks

My boyfriend Fernando is a drinker and I am not. Most of you know this already from other posts and photos. I've received many questions asking me what it's like to be with a partner who drinks and if it is ever a problem for me.Fer and I met in the party scene. He is a DJ by trade and has worked in nightclubs for years. When we met, we both partied and drank a lot and at the beginning that's what our relationship was based on. Our relationship started out rocky and any time we had an argument, alcohol was involved. In the beginning I tried to push him away and I treated him badly. I was an emotional and alcohol addicted mess. I couldn't really figure out why he wanted to date me in the first place, and I tried my best not to let it happen.

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Life in Florida Update

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Life in Florida Update

Life has been traveling at light speed over here in our new town of Cape Coral! I was so busy last week that I didn't have time to publish a blog.  I apologize! I wanted to write a life update for everyone since life has been hectic and GREAT since moving to Florida. I continued to work for Sunset World (the hotel group in Cancun) from home for the months of June and July, as well as picked up a few freelance projects to keep me busy.  I continued to job search and I actually heard back from one of the first jobs I applied to in the southwest Florida area.  I went in for an interview on July 24 and the next day they offered me the position!  I am happy to announce I am the new Inbound Marketing Consultant for Impulse Creative in Fort Myers! I actually started right away and finished up my first week on Friday (hence my super busy last week).  I was sad to finally hand over my Cancun social media accounts and blogs to my former co-workers and it was like we had to say goodbye all over again. I will miss writing about the city I lived in for 5 years and all its beauty.

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Wedding Season as a Non-drinker

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Wedding Season as a Non-drinker

I have now attended 4 weddings as a sober señorita.  Before the first one I felt like it would be this big milestone. I felt like I had to inform everyone before I went. "Just so you guys know I will NOT be binge drinking & getting shitfaced at _____'s wedding like I normally do."  Although I guess it made more sense for my first sober wedding that I declare that because it was only after a month of sobriety for me.

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7 Things I Miss About Living in Cancun

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7 Things I Miss About Living in Cancun

It's been over a month since we made the big move to the USA.  Things have been great here and we are slowly but surely getting adjusted.  Even though I am extremely happy to be living back stateside there are things I miss about my beloved Mexico.  To soothe my nostalgic feelings here are 7 things I miss about living in Cancun.  

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Online Sober Reading

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Online Sober Reading

In my post How I Got Sober I talked about how reading about alcoholism and addiction online really helped me get through my first months in sobriety.  I was looking for comfort, answers, and to know I wasn't alone.  I found many great books and websites along the way. In this post I decided I would outline for you the main websites I like to read for information, community, and encouragement.

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A Glorious 4th of July in the USA

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A Glorious 4th of July in the USA

After living in Mexico for several years, this year I was excited to finally spend Independence Day in the USA.  I was looking forward to having some good old fashioned American fun and to seeing a real fireworks show, as they don't have those in Cancun.  Also, it was Fer's first ever 4th of July in the States, another reason to celebrate.

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The Wow Factor

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The Wow Factor

In my entry "A Year Without Alcohol" I talked about how I have been feeling all kinds of emotions since getting sober.  Some of the best ones are moments of clarified happiness.  This has been happening to me a lot lately and I'd thought I'd describe how it feels.I couldn't think of a better name for this feeling than the Wow Factor.  It's like ...zest for life combined with beauty, happiness, and gratefulness all wrapped into one.

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