Rachel Charlton-Dailey shares her experience with alcoholism
Rachel Charlton-Dailey is an award-winning journalist specializing in health and disability.
Charlton-Dailey also is the founder and editor-in-chief of the disability-focused online publication The Unwritten.
No, today I was getting married.
Photo Courtesy of Rachel Charlton-Dailey / Designed by Don Eschenauer and Jaime Yong
Of course, I hadnt intended to be hungover, but when did I ever?
It was 9 a.m.
I dont remember why, but I know I was awful.
He still, to this day, wont tell me what I said.
One of our friends calmed us down, and they left.
He made me go to bed.
What he didnt know was that Id already downloaded a sobriety tracker.
However, now that I was sober I had to confront the reasons behind why I drank excessively.
Id been living withundiagnosed endometriosisfor over a decade, and the pain was wearing me down physically and mentally.
I also dealt with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder),anxiety, and depression.
I had been using alcohol to drown out the voice in my head and stop the pain.
So I let myself feel [everything].
Staying Sober During the Pandemic
Six months into my recovery the COVID-19 pandemic came along.
I had to be stricter with socializing and set boundaries about alcohol talk.
Thankfully, I managed to stay sober.
It has been toughand I have had a couple of near misses, where I have almost drunk.
Im just lucky I have a really good support system.
I no longer think the world is against me and that I cant do good things.
I now work hard every day to create opportunities for myself and the disabled community.
My one piece of advice to anyone who thinks they need alcohol is that you really dont.
you might achieve so much when you let yourself feel.
