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
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Saturday
6.14.25 I don’t even know what to say about how excited I was to run a few errands, go grocery shopping, and then come home to make summer pasta salad. Welcome to middle age, single, woman in recovery life goals. It was exactly how I wanted to spend this Saturday. There’s something so deeply satisfying
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Proof of Progress
6.13.25 This week has been nonstop. Work is ramping up with the summer homebuying season in full swing. It feels good to be busy — like I’m useful, like I’m contributing — but mentally, I’m tapped out. My brain is done for the week, and I’m ready for a couple of days to rest, reset,
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Small Acts, Big Love
6.12.25 Every morning I wake up feeling grateful for my sobriety and the chance to keep making living amends. It’s something I try to do every day — showing up, being present, doing the right thing even in the small ways. I’ve always loved small acts of kindness more than big, flashy stuff. Whether I’m
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Progress Without Apology
6.11.25 I’m not going to apologize for being angry yesterday. I’m allowed to feel what I feel. I don’t owe anyone an amends for simply having an emotion—especially when I stayed sober, acknowledged my anger for what it was, and didn’t lash out. That’s progress. That’s emotional sobriety in action. Today was a good day.