I’m Seriously Sober (2026)

22/02/2026

I recover out loud…like scream it from the rooftops loud. I am so proud of how far I’ve come…but I didn’t always feel that way.

When my family forced me into treatment the first two times, I was mortified. I saw my alcoholism as a weakness. I was ashamed that I let my drinking get so out of control. As a therapist, I wanted to therapitize (definitely not a real word) myself into sobriety. I didn’t want to let others in as I wasn’t ready to be completely honest. I was embarrassed about the pain, trauma and abuse I had endured that led to my alcoholism. I wanted to avoid others and isolate. I was ignoring the truth - that I was an alcoholic and that it was running and ruining my life.

Fast forward to my third and hopefully finally treatment center and everything changed. I embraced my addiction. I decided it wasn’t going to define me. It was going to be the foundation on which I created a brand new beautiful sober life.

I began becoming honest and opening up about all the ugliness that is my past and my alcoholism. I was willing to do whatever hard work was required to ensure another drink wasn’t in my future. I relied on others and their stories and experiences to guide me on my journey to recovery.

My addiction and ability to overcome it is my strength, my superpower.

And now, I’m so ridiculously proud of my addiction and path to sobriety. If I can survive my past, battle through my addiction and find happiness in my sobriety….I consider that one amazing feat.

It’s unreal to think how far I’ve come not only in my recovery, but also in life. It’s a big, beautiful, messy, imperfect, amazing and badass sober life that I wouldn’t change for anything!!

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14/02/2026

In active addiction, it was difficult for me to love anything or anyone besides Captain Morgan, including myself. I’d go to any length to ensure that my next drink was waiting for me. I’d lie. I’d manipulate. I would never put you or anyone else first. I woke up thinking about my next drink and went to bed waiting for my next chance to drink. Alcohol was my love.

When I started my recovery, I was told that part of what I was missing in life was my ability to love - love you, love me, love anything. With time, I started to love and respect myself and others. When I take away the alcohol, my heart opens up and I am able to be present for you and myself. Love becomes natural and so very important in my sobriety.

So on this Valentine’s Day, I love the fact that I am able to love again. And my wish for you all on this day is that love shines brightly within.

Happy Valentine’s Day ❤️

12/02/2026

I had zero faith when I was drinking.

I was too busy trying to figure out how I could sneak another bottle in the house and get away with another drunken night. I didn’t care how things worked out as long as I could be left alone to keep drinking. My faith and happiness was found at the bottom of the bottle….or so I thought.

When things got messy and treatment became my reality, I had no faith that I could get sober and stay sober. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be sober.

When I entered rehab for the third time, I had a counselor say that my way of drinking clearly wasn’t working so well and maybe, just maybe I could believe that I was capable of more than a drink. That maybe my addiction was helping me get to a better place in life.

I had never considered that idea before. This counselor asked that I have a little faith in myself and those around me guiding me on my journey of recovery. It seemed impossible, overwhelming and totally crazy. But what did I have to lose?

Thank goodness I listened and took that suggestion because that counselor was spot on. My faith in my recovery led me away from the insanity and towards freedom.

Everything worked out exactly as it needed to in order for me to stay sober. Everything played out as it should for me to create happiness. Everything happened for a reason because I had a little faith.

All these years later, faith remains an important aspect of my recovery. Even on the hard days, I remember that everything will always be ok, especially if I just do the next right thing and don’t drink!

07/02/2026

Woke up this morning another day clean and sober…and another year older 🎈

Birthdays were always a reason to drink! Whether it was my birthday or your birthday, we needed to celebrate - and that meant alcohol! Really, I just wanted to justify my drinking. It’s socially acceptable to get wasted when celebrating someone so why not use birthdays as a legit excuse to drink?! The more alcohol, the better.

That was the old drunken me. It was messy. It was complicated. It was my addiction running the show.

The new sober me celebrates with flowers, time snuggling with the puppies, a trip to New Jersey for dinner with the family and Carvel cake because it’s the greatest dessert on the planet!

It’s simple. It’s perfect. It’s so very me.

It’s also so much better than a drunken debacle.

Here’s to another year and many more sober celebrations!!

05/02/2026

2011. NYC. Rockefeller Center.

Everything looking good on the outside. Smiles. Joy. Excitement. Adventure. Happiness. To the people I passed by on the street, they saw a mother and son living the good life.

Meanwhile, on the inside it’s a totally different story. Pain. Grief. Sadness. Anger. Heartache. I was going through the motions as I was dealing with my 3rd and most traumatic miscarriage.

This was during my seven years of not drinking. This was a time where I should have been dealing with the trauma and grief that comes along with a second trimester miscarriage. But I didn’t want to show my agony and pain so I pretended like everything was fine. I hid the truth. I forced myself to believe that I was managing well. It was called denial and I rode that train for another year or so before my inability to cope led me back to drinking.

We all experience pain in life. There are various avenues to cope with the pain - some healthy and others not so much. I believe that if I was honest with myself and allowed others to be aware of my pain, perhaps I would have chosen another way to deal with my trauma rather than turning to alcohol.

So this is a reminder that it’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to admit that your strength can only take you so far. It’s okay to let others in. It’s okay to be honest. It’s okay to not carry your pain around with you for the rest of your life. It’s okay to work through the hurt and pain. It’s okay to not be okay.

You are not alone. And no matter the pain, you don’t have to manage by yourself.

We are stronger together, always.

31/01/2026

My life is nowhere near perfect.

I’ve had more miscarriages than I’d like to remember.

I’ve lost friends too early in life.

I’ve struggled with alcoholism and nearly died.

I’ve tolerated toxic relationships for too long.

I’ve struggled with perfectionism and control for the better part of my life.

I’ve said goodbye to too many family members, which broke my heart.

I’ve accepted shared custody and miss out on half of my son’s life.

I’ve dealt with guilt and shame over poor choices that keep me up at night.

But!

I’m happy and healthy and sober.

I have a teenage son who is thriving.

My parents are my biggest fans and I get to share the good days and the bad days with them by my side.

I have a husband who takes care of me and shows me true love day in and day out.

My friends, the genuine ones who show up and love me always, continue to be there for me each day.

I make a difference in this world by helping others overcome their struggles and live a better life.

And most importantly, I live an honest life, work on myself every day and remain sober no matter what life throws at me. My sobriety comes first.

Without it, I have nothing.

Perfect is overrated. I appreciate my life and am grateful I’m around to live it and share it with those I love.

30/01/2026

I’ve been called a lot of things throughout my life.

Some have been good. Some not so good. Some have been true. Some not so true.

There was a time that I was ashamed of being called an alcoholic.

In society, the term alcoholic has such a negative connotation and I thought that’s the only way people would see me. But I’ve learned to see the label in a positive light.

Being an alcoholic is empowering - it gave me the courage to fight for a brand new beautiful sober life. It gave me confidence and the strength to use my voice. It allowed my self esteem to grow and I became proud to be me.

I’ve also learned that alcoholic is just one way to describe me. I’m also a mom, wife and daughter. I’m a warrior and survivor. I’m a friend and co-worker. I’m a therapist, recovery advocate and blogger. I’m a sports fanatic and a puppy mom. I’m an avid traveler and chef in training.

People can say whatever they want about me. The labels they come up with are just words and individually they don’t complete me. There isn’t one word alone that defines me. But together they make up me - someone I’ve learned to love and respect - all thanks to my sobriety.

28/01/2026

Active addiction took all this from me and more. Now I live each day filled with…

* Freedom * Responsibility * Trust * Full nights of sleep * Healthy Relationships * Employment * Self Respect * Love * Home * Integrity * Belief in Myself * Family * Sobriety * Hangover Free Mornings * Rational Thinking * Health * Friends * Pride * Unconditional Love * Money * Serenity * Faith * Honesty * Motivation * Independence * Dignity * Transparency * Security * Confidence * Courage * Passion * Determination * Choices* My Life * Me *

13/01/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CH3B1N9TM/?mibextid=wwXIfr

11/01/2026

Some days are just too much.

I often get caught up in the craziness of life.

This could be related to being a parent: doing the wash so the uniform is ready for the next game, teaching valuable life lessons, checking school assignments and homework, picking up from practice and running to next medical appointment, planning college visits, making a healthy dinner every night, etc.

This could be related to work: responding to emails, dealing with co-workers, attending every zoom and in person meeting, exceeding expectations, juggling eight tasks at once, actually doing my job, etc.

This could be related to recovery: attending meetings, going to therapy, calling supportive people in your life, doing step work, being of service, helping others, etc.

I often have to remind myself that I get to be overwhelmed by life today without having to manage my addiction as well. I’m grateful my life is a balance of all these roles I get to play without needing active alcoholic to be one of them.

I have to remember that I woke up today. And I did it sober. That’s my first blessing. My second one is that I get to be a productive person in society because I am no longer basing my life around my next drink.

I need to pause (Please Assist Until Serenity Enters) and remember to be grateful. Always be grateful for another day.

04/01/2026

A life beyond your wildest dreams… 💙

I’d hear this over and over again in early recovery…don’t leave before the miracle happens because this type of life is promised to you if you choose a life in sobriety. I was skeptical and didn’t believe it was possible. I assumed I’d struggle with my alcoholism and be miserable for the rest of my life.

In active addiction, my only dream was to have an endless supply of Captain Morgan and for everyone to leave me alone and never find out about the extent of my drinking. It was a pathetic existence but one I was content with simply because it allowed me to numb out the pain, abuse and trauma. I was okay with isolating from the world as long as I had my alcohol.

Early recovery wasn’t easy. Triggers, expectations and the never ending feelings of shame and guilt would keep me stuck. But I never gave up. I continued to fight each day for my sobriety. I was determined to find this life beyond my wildest dreams that I always heard about.

It didn’t take long. By choosing to do the next right thing each and every day, things began to fall into place. I got a fabulous job. My relationship with my family started to improve. I became more confident not only in my recovery but in simply being me. I started to get months of sobriety and then years. I was free. I became happy, genuinely happy. It was something I had never felt before. It was like a dream come true.

And then completely unexpectedly came along Brian. This man you see here in this picture, he completed the dream of happily ever after, the life beyond my wildest dreams. 7 years ago today, we got married on cold January night (and yea, I wore flip flops because eh, why not). It has been an adventure filled with more laughs than I thought possible and more happiness than I thought I deserved.

No more being married to the bottle. No more drunken lonely nights. No more being stuck in the cycle of addiction.

Recovery…This is the life…A life beyond my wildest dreams 💛

(PS…Happy Anniversary Babe ❤️ Thanks for being you and loving me like you do!)

31/12/2025

I used to love New Year’s Eve.

College Amy. Early 20s Amy. Active Addiction Amy. I couldn’t wait for this night.

It was the one night of the year that I knew I wasn’t going to be the only drunken mess. Others used this night to get black out drunk and over the top stupid as well. I knew I wasn’t going to be alone in my drinking.

Looking back now, I realize what a red flag that thinking was. I didn’t want to see it then, but I know now that wanting to be around others who drank as sloppily as I did was an issue. It helped to hide my problematic drinking and justify my excessive consumption. I was able to blend into the crowd of drunken debacles and not be the only mess that night.

Sober Amy thinks of this night as any other night of the year.

I keep it simple. My family cooks dinner together. We watch some football and crappy tv. I’m in bed before the clock strikes 12. And as I close my eyes, I reflect back on the day and set good intentions for the next one. I go to sleep with gratitude in my heart for another day sober.

So this New Years…it’s your choice.

Celebrate with alcohol mixed with justifications and excuses for your poor choices. Or celebrate with appreciation mixed with a good night sleep and happy memories with those you love.

Whatever you decide, be safe. And make the start of 2026 the best you can!

Hey 2025, we’ll see ya. It’s been a doozy.

I’m Seriously Sober