The Okayish Girl

Hey, I’m Em, another anonymous sober blogger out here trying to make sense of the world without alcohol. I’m a late-20s lady living in the northern part of the USA, where I’m currently in graduate school pursuing my degree and licensure in Mental Health Counseling while working a day job in software development. I have a pet hedgehog and aim to own a hoard of cats sometime in the near future. I like to run, lift weights, do yoga, write, and get crafty at home with kombucha, soap-making and baking projects. I was once married, but am now navigating this sober world as a (legally) single lady, still unsure about whether I’ll ever get married again or just live it up as a cat-loving spinster into my old age.

The last time I consumed alcohol was July 8th, 2016. I created this blog on my 20th day sober, still unsure about who I was going to tell about my sobriety, or what I was going to say. But I knew I needed some kind of outlet, a space to feel free to recount every drunken blunder through a sober lens, and maybe to get myself to a place of okayishness again.

I chose the name “okayishness” because through sobriety and mindfulness and writing, I’m trying to achieve a semi-permanent state of being “okay-ish.” I don’t need to be happy all the time, or live a perfect life, or become some internet-famous sober blogger who sells 10 million copies of her first book and goes on a nationwide TEDx speaking tour.

No, I just want to be…okay. That’s all.

So that’s why I’m here: getting and staying sober is stupid hard, but I know it’s going to be OK. This blog allows me to anonymously tell my story and connect with others who know what it feels like to walk this path. Others like you, who have their own stories to tell, and who can provide mutual support and cheer-leading, for when we’re going through the B.S. of living sober in a drunken world. I figured writing my thoughts out on my journey to okayishness might be a good way to help me get the process started—and so, here I am, learning to be okayish one booze-free day at a time.

Maybe you’re ready to join me?

If you’re looking for a good place to start with my stuff, I suggest going all the way back to the beginning: day 1, my come-to-jesus moment.

Here are a few of my other posts that people seem to like quite a bit:

1. One Year Sober: A Celebration and Reflection
2. What I’ve Learned from 80 Days of Sobriety
3. 2 Years Post-Divorce: Sober and Thankful
4. Themes of Recovery: Observations from Two Years of Sobriety
5. On Depression and Writing
6. Stop Struggling
7. F*ck Anxiety
8. Getting (& staying) Fit in Long-Term Sobriety
9. Being Lonely Makes Me Want to Drink
10. Sobriety is Impressive. Impress Yourself.

Thanks for visiting me and reading my stuff and maybe even posting nice comments to let me know you’ve stopped by. Wherever you are on your journey, I’m so thankful to have you here on this adventure with me.

❤ Em