Published in Beautiful Hangover·PinnedMember-onlyHow to Tell if You are a High-Functioning AlcoholicSix things to look out for if you’re worried about your drinking. — Sarah Allen Benton’s book, Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic explodes old stereotypes of alcoholism. She explains that these ideas are not only wrong but dangerous. It’s something I’ve written about before, the lesser understood fact that there are many different types of alcoholics or people with Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs)and…Addiction7 min readAddiction7 min read
Published in Beautiful Hangover·PinnedMember-onlyWhat Adele’s Relationship with Booze Reveals About Our DrinkingTo live her highest potential she needs to quit the booze, so why will she start again? — Adele hit the news this week because she’s giving up alcohol. Is it strange that this is newsworthy? Perhaps. Does this say more about our obsession with celebrities or alcohol? I’m not sure. Reading the story I was struck by: a) how even millionaire hitmakers find 21st Century life…Addiction4 min readAddiction4 min read
Published in Beautiful Hangover·PinnedMember-onlyThis Is What Narcissistic Triangulation Looks LikeBehaviors to watch out for so that your relationships stay healthy. — When I was nine years old I had a beautiful, charismatic best friend. Jessica was pretty, kind, clever and funny, and we had the best time together. Making up plays and dreaming of boys, we got on a treat if it was only the two of us. Add another player…Mental Health6 min readMental Health6 min read
PinnedMember-onlyHow Therapy Fails Women With AutismOr how I spent hundreds of pounds not solving my biggest problems really slowly — Nice white lady #1, 2015 Trigger: A friend pushed me to go to the doctor after I admitted to having suicidal thoughts. (Apparently, this is alarming. Who knew?) I cried to the GP and was given a prescription for Citalopram and a number to call the Talking Therapies team. …Autism7 min readAutism7 min read
Published in Invisible Illness·Sep 25Member-onlyWhat Does It Cost to be More Authentic?Reflections on letting go of people-pleasing (and the mask)… — Writing this, I am at the tail end of a cold that I’m not sure is actually a cold. It arrived the morning after a day-long festival when I woke dehydrated, achy and feeling hungover though I hadn’t drunk any booze. I got my partner and some of his family…Autism8 min readAutism8 min read
Published in Beautiful Hangover·May 1Member-onlyMy Therapist Helped Me Own My Decision to Get SoberOur conversation helped me stop over-explaining my choice. — I’ve been sober for six years now, and I no longer get defensive about my sobriety. But for the first few years, I felt pressure to prove my drinking was really bad. Like I needed permission to quit from the drinker’s club. And I needed approval from my pals in…Addiction5 min readAddiction5 min read
Apr 27Member-only6 Years Sober and RewildingReflections on consciousness, newts, gardening and sobriety — Last week I was six years sober, and I didn’t even write about it. Yet. Because I can’t stop gardening. Lately, I’ve been spending every spare moment in the garden. Is this procrastination? I’m on the second draft of my third novel, after all, and have hopes of finishing it…Nature7 min readNature7 min read
Mar 2Member-onlyAre You Able to Create a Birthday You Actually Enjoy?39 Years Old, 5.5 years sober, 1.5 years Actually Autistic, and I finally nailed it. — Enjoying a birthday sounds simple, but historically I’ve found it hard. There have been years where I’ve worried about ageing, years where I haven’t wanted to ‘make a fuss’, years where I’ve been flat out depressed (without realising). There have been years I organised things that weren’t to my own…Addiction6 min readAddiction6 min read
Feb 2Member-onlyTo what extent does music have the power to make us feel better?Emotional dysregulation and listening to the War on Drugs — Throughout my life I have enjoyed listening to melancholy music and sinking into the deep sadness that seems to reside in my gut. I think this started in my late teens. …Autism4 min readAutism4 min read
Dec 31, 2021Member-only52 Weeks of One True Yes and One True NoJoin me in a year of unmasking, and find a more authentic you 🥳 🤷 🥰 🤔 — Intermittently in my life, I feel myself waking up. A new burst of inspiration and understanding comes, and I feel ALIIIIVEEEEE. I see the world around me and inhabit my body better, stop living so completely in my head. This has happened recently. Perhaps because of the extended time of…Autism4 min readAutism4 min read
