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

  • The Unsinkable Spirit (and Raft… Kinda)

    6.22.25 It was nice to get outside and enjoy the weird weather yesterday. I fully embraced my role as team cheerleader—that was the extent of my involvement in the raft building. I did my part for my alumni service position by helping set up and clean up the event, but when it came to actually

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  • Noah’s non-Ark

    6.21.25 I was woken up at 5 a.m. this morning by a tiny little paw playfully smacking me in the nose. Poppy doesn’t understand personal space or the concept of keeping her paws to herself. She’s lucky she’s cute. Last night was a huge alumni meeting—probably the largest I’ve attended since my days as a

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  • The Harder Surrender

    6.20.25 When I was deep in my addiction, submitting to a power greater than myself was effortless. It was alcohol. That drink had total control—it numbed everything, quieted the noise, gave me the illusion of peace. That first sip felt like liquid gold. It washed over me and took the edge off life. For a

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  • Miss Poppy

    6.19.25 You guys! I did a thing… Tonight, I get to pick up my new kitten! I’ve been wanting one ever since Kendall moved out and took Delilah (Squish) with her. She wasn’t mine, but man, have I missed that little shit. I’ve been fighting the urge for a while—partly because I didn’t want to

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