Alcohol Abuse Disorder
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The Dryer Story
Two winters ago, I went on an overnight hot springs trip with a group of women I’ve known and loved for decades. We stayed in an Airbnb, played Cards Against Humanity, laughed until our stomachs hurt, and ate this amazing Kahlúa cake that one of those women is famous for. In the past, we would have been drinking wine, but since I quit drinking, these ladies don’t drink in front of me. I keep telling them they don’t have to do that anymore, but they do. It’s one of the many beautiful and kind ways they have shown up for me over my life. They did, however, eat some pot…
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Some Unwanted Advice from Your Great Aunt Rae
Dear Class of 2023, I want to tell you something that I wish someone had told me when I was your age. You won’t listen. I wouldn’t have either. But I’m going to tell you anyway. I know you have all been warned about the dangers of drinking alcohol when you are underage. You have been told that it is sinful, or bad for your brain and body, or that it isn’t what smart kids do. I heard all of those things, too. I drank anyway to rebel against those voices. What I didn’t know – what I wish I had been prepared for – is once you reach the…
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Yoga Poser
We were standing in Warrior II (never one of my favorite poses as it forces me to look at my body in the studio mirror at an unflattering side angle), posed with our back legs straight, our front legs bent at a 90° angle, and arms outstretched in both directions, one over each leg. “What is the significance of looking forward over your bent leg in this pose?” Judd asked the class as he walked down a row of rubber mats, correcting postures as he went. Someone said something in response, but I didn’t catch it over the music. But Judd did. “Yes!” he said. “We are reaching back into…