“The party’s over. It’s time to call it a day.” — Judy Garland
When we got here, it felt like our lives had fallen apart. We didn’t plan on things like divorce, only seeing our kids sometimes, or having a bank account that looks like it’s on life support. We used to drink for fun. And for a while, it worked. We felt free, confident—like we finally fit somewhere. But then the fun stopped, and after life started pushing back, it became clear we’d gone too far this time.
Some of us heard about the friend who went to AA, and now they’re like a different person. Change is possible. Part of us wondered if maybe we weren’t too far gone—if maybe it could work for us too. Anything has to be better than going back to drinking. We don’t want to go back. We’re tired of pretending things are okay when they’re not. It was fun—now it’s not. Strange how long it took us to admit that the fun was killing us.
When did you first realize it wasn’t fun anymore—and what helped us take the next step instead of going back?
