My closed mind opened the bottle. When I opened my mind, I closed the bottle. — It has been roughly four hundred and eighty-one days since that Monday I was sitting on the couch white-knuckling through day number one, after a year and a half relapse. I told myself repetitively, "I just need to get to 10:00 p.m. when the liquor store closes", then I would…

One race changed the trajectory of my sobriety journey. — Sifan Hassan Have you heard of her? Unless you are a big track fan, you probably haven’t. Who is she? Sifan Hassan is a 29-year-old Ethiopian-born Dutch world-record-holding Olympian. Among the many medals and records she has earned over the years, the ‘2020’ Tokyo Olympics did not disappoint. Hassan is the only athlete in history…

How the health care and insurance policies failed me. — I am in tears. My work presented a powerful event from the Quell Foundation, which included a screening of the Documentary, Lifting the Mask. After seeing this video and listening to the panel, I felt inspired to share my story — as the message was to keep talking about it to end the stigma…

4 months. 90 days. 2 minutes. — 90 Days. I’m back, after exactly four months since my last post. I am back. I am back and sober, 90 days sober. It isn’t that I haven’t wanted to post anything; I physically could not do it. I don’t know how many times I have sat at my laptop…

why friendship is so challenging to maintain — It’s been a long bumpy road since the day I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. That day was one of the most freeing days of my life. I finally understood why I felt so crazy all the time and why I couldn’t manage my life. I found a psychiatrist who…

My first and last time at prom — Prom. I never wanted to go when I was in high school. I wasn’t much of a raw-raw school spirit kind of girl. I was the sit in the back row, avoid eye contact, skip school type of girl. High school was one of the worst times in my life…

The happiest time of the year feels different this time. — It’s my favorite time of the year, Pride month. This year is a little bittersweet for many reasons. Unrest in the community, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and sexism occur daily in this world, and it can feel so hopeless at times. …

Trying to stay positive in a confusing journey — “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. …

or do I? — I wanted it. Truly I did…. I do. I want it. Do I deserve it? Am I capable? Is it worth it? These are the questions that have filled my head the past few weeks. I was doing so well. I was working through the seemingly impossible moments of temptation…