Notes On Sobriety

Lessons Learned From The Morning After

While on a book related deadline this month, everything held within this newsletter will be scheduled in advance - simply to avoid procrastination on my part, as well as being a burnout prevention measure. Please reply to this email with any thoughts, queries, etc if needed meanwhile.

---

“Hello, is this Lydia? Hullo, this is…”

Cliche though it may be, the colour drained from my face - and probably the rest of my body, come to think of it.

Another ‘amateur dramatics’ eruption, once again stuck-in-the-middle-clean-up-needed on their behalf. And it was serious this time. I was supposed to be enjoying the arrival of my first books’ proofs. It had been a long road to publication - one of illness, restarts, politics of the incendiary. I don’t feel proud, still. Once again, a specific occasion of celebration had been marred. Anything about or for me could never be done - it had to be in halves. But give an inch, a mile is taken.

It’s been two years since that phone call, and two years to the day since I last drank. I should have stopped sooner.