Did having a sober penpal help Amy to be sober?
She told her story to Good Housekeeping Magazine …
haha. OK, to be fair, this happened a couple of years ago, back when i had ONE sober penpal and her name was Amy and she was interviewed by Good Housekeeping and she told her sober story which included the fact that i was her sober penpal. fast forward 3ish years and i’ve just welcomed sober penpals #2523 (say hi to Eleutheria).
but once upon a time, there was Amy. she emailed and asked questions on her day 6. and we emailed back and forth. and then someone else joined, and then another. and now we’re here.
want to learn more about Amy’s story? you can see TOTAD mentioned in Good Housekeeping here. and then also go and check out Amy’s amazing writing on her blog: http://sober-bia.blogspot.com
quote from the Good Housekeeping article:
Amy: Right then, I knew I had to quit. I thought, If I keep doing this, in 10 years they’ll feel ashamed to be my children. I stopped cold. I told Jonathan I was quitting and needed his help. He supported me 100%. “Whatever you need to do, we’ll do,” he said. But I didn’t know what I needed to do. I Googled “How to quit drinking” and came across one blog after another. Then I found one — called Tired of Thinking About Drinking, by a blogger who went by Belle — that really hit home. I e-mailed Belle; she wrote back and said to contact her whenever I needed to. I began writing to her every day. I still do. It was crucial to have someone who could share my “This is hard! This sucks! What do I do?” struggles. … keep reading on Good Housekeeping website
[update: Amy is on day 1447 today]
On SundayNovember 24th 2013 I woke up hungover. Ashamed of my druken crying stint in front of my 14 year old daughters the night before. I was desperate and sad. I went to church and prayed. I asked God to help me. I came home and went out on my porch to smoke cigarettes and drink coffee and picked up Good Housekeeping magazine. I read Amy’s article. I went to my computer and emailed Belle to tell her that I had a problem with drinking and needed help. The first person I ever admitted this horrible secret. She EMAILED BACK! I signed up for the 100 day challenge and have been sober ever since. 6 months later I quit smoking. I celebrate 3 years on Thanksgiving. I don’t have to be ashamed and available to be the mom my girls deserve. Amy and Belle were answers to a prayer. I am forever grateful. Much love:) Denise B
That’s the article that got my sober car moving. Hard to believe that it will be 3 years in December! thank you Amy for leading me to Belle
Hugs and much gratitude
Margy
Amazing, that’s the article that started my sober journey, more than 3 years ago. What a beautiful comm unity I finally belong to. Thank you so very much h
going2pieces: This article saved my life. I was sitting in the dentist office the morning of January 28, 2014 waiting for my appointment (hungover of course) when I picked up a random magazine and read this article. That afternoon I looked up Amy’s blog and yours and committed right then and there to quit. I drank that night and began the rest of my life on Wednesday, January 29, 2014. Today I’m at 1028 days and will celebrate 3 years in just over 2 months. It was the hardest thing I’ve done but also the best. Thanks to Amy and thanks to you.”
Wow! What a moving article. I was so like that. The parts about the kids, the dinner time and bedtime/bath routine. The most moving part for me was when she say’s her kids will be ashamed of her as their mother. I felt that deep. That was/is still my biggest worry. That someday my kids will hate me for what I did before I got it together. Shows again, how close the parallels are in all our lives. We drinkers have such unique and alike experiences. Thankfully there is Belle and this blogg to pull us all together and put us together. Thanks!
Great to read her article – so encoraging!
from Rexytime: Wow, is all I can say this article hit so close to home for me. That’s how I was when I drank and how I felt with my kids. I guess I’m not the only one.T hanks for sharing and for helping g everyone the way you do, I don’t think I would be sober without it!