Earlier this month, an anniversary slipped by without any fanfare. In fact, I had completely forgot about it. Because it represents something that now just feels normal, that I don’t have to think about. But I do think about it, just not in the same way: sobriety.
Five years ago, I stopped drinking. I wasn’t out bingeing or suffering through stomach-churning, mind-bending hangovers. On the days when I wasn’t flying (I was a flight attendant for 7.5 years before the pandemic, and there were strict rules around alcohol), I had a glass or two of wine with dinner. Wine also featured prominently in a lot of the dinner recipes I prepared since, back then, I was making my way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Child, Bertholle, and Beck). And dealing with sleep issues for most of my adult life, it became clear: I had to change my life. [Read more…] about The Power of Change
“Why?” many of my friends asked with bewilderment as much as curiosity. I stopped drinking — not because I was pressured to, not because I didn’t know my limit, not because alcohol was ravaging my life — because I had to get my house in order.