Hello World!
Tough times don’t last, tough people do. – Robert Schuller
My name is Ciana ‘Ci’, and I am an alcoholic. I’ve struggled with addiction for most of my life. As a teenager I experimented with drugs and alcohol but was always able to stop using drugs without any significant withdrawals or impact. Alcohol on the other hand, was not so easy.
I’ve maintained sobriety in the past for long periods of time but always given in to ‘one drink’. For those of us suffering from addiction you know that one drink is too many, and one more is never enough. I wanted this time to be different, I needed this time to be different, because no matter how much I lied to myself and tried to lie to everyone else, I could see the effects in every aspect of my life.
So, I went to rehab! I started journaling as part of my daily routine in rehab. I kept thinking about something I heard there that really resonated with me. I watched a recording of Brene Brown who said, “One day you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through, and it will be someone else’s survival guide.” I don’t know if this blog will become someone else’s survival guide or just my journal to reflect back on later, I will be stronger for it either way.
May you be sober and happy always! Ci
-
We Don’t Do Half-Finished Drinks
8.17.25 This morning, I had the privilege of chairing the women’s meeting. I’ll admit, I still get nervous before stepping into that role, but those nerves fade quickly once I’m surrounded by friends who are there for the very same reason as me. In that room, we share our experience, strength, and hope. No one
-
Anonymity, Integrity, and Calling My Own Bullshit
8.16.25 I’ve always respected the principle of anonymity in AA, and I would never betray another alcoholic’s anonymity. The fellowship teaches us in Tradition Eleven that “our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.” Tradition Twelve reminds us
-
Grief in Recovery
8.15.25 Grief has been a hot topic lately. Like many of my friends in recovery, I’m realizing there are people and events in my life that I never truly grieved. Back then, alcohol was my quick fix—it numbed the grief and kept me from facing the wave of emotions that came with it. But sobriety
-
I’m Okay Being Different
8.14.25 I woke up before the alarm today, bright-eyed and just…awake. No dragging myself out of bed. Just up. Turned on the coffee pot, went straight into my morning routine. The readings were good, Twenty-Four Hours a Day made me smile. I’m not bothered anymore by the fact that I’m different—physically, mentally—from a lot of