01/28/2026
January 28th, 2026 marks 18 years sober.
I guess you could say my sobriety can officially vote and apply for jury duty.
I’m sure you’re getting annoyed with all my posts from the holidays, relationship updates, book reviews, and my epic 40th birthday party, but with this recent milestone, something hit me.
January used to absolutely suck. I HATED IT!
My mother passed away on January 3rd, my birthday on January 10th would bring anxiety, my DUI arrest was January 27th, and I would always find myself in these emotional fogs around this time of year. I think a lot of us experience emotional seasons tied to old, difficult memories. It isn’t that we have to forget the past, but we do get to rewrite a better future.
I did the AA groups, the therapy, the men’s groups, etc., and I took a time of year that used to be really difficult emotionally and built new memories that are worthy of celebrating. It was a mindset shift and it required mindful intention.
Many of us struggle to celebrate ourselves. But why? Because we don’t want to seem selfish. We don’t want to make it about us. Or is it that we diminish our accomplishments?
Either way, there is too much chaos in the world to not take time to celebrate the good.
Thank you to friends and family for years of support, and let’s not stop celebrating our lives. I love you all.
And as always, if you or a loved one is struggling with substance abuse, please reach out. Know that we can change, we can build a better life, and we can learn to celebrate the times that used to cause us grief.
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