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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Wilfrid Laurier chapter.

This past October, I celebrated one year of complete sobriety.

I have been asked how it started and why it started, and while addiction can be a complicated subject to broach at the best of times, I will explain it like this:

When you are baking, it’s normal to create quite a mess.

But regardless of how messy it may get – it is your job to clean it up.

That’s what sobriety has been to me; I had made a huge mess of my life, and it was my job to clean it up.

Just as I rinse my Cuisinart mixer accessories and Lysol the kitchen counters, I stripped my life of all that was poisoning it and made it sparkle once more.

 

I do not aim to oversimplify – addiction is a multi-faceted, shape-shifting monster, and it isn’t easy to identify or defeat this monster.

I will only speak for my own experience in overcoming the beast of addiction.

 

I knew it was time for change when I couldn’t stop shaking.

I knew it was time for change when I was apathetic to almost everything in my life.

I knew it was time for change when I didn’t recognize myself any longer.

 

The scariest part of this journey was the very beginning – taking that first step, admitting that I needed to change. This isn’t to say that I thought I was perfect, but to admit that you think you are an addict is to put yourself in a very vulnerable position. I had no idea how to share this information or what to expect as a reaction.

Could I text it? “Hey, happy Monday. I’m an alcoholic,” didn’t seem like a very socially appropriate message to send.

Was I a freak? None of my friends were sober.

I knew this was necessary, not only to my health but to my survival.

Through my addiction, I had lost trust in myself.

 

Luckily, my story took a turn for the better.

 

In my first year of sobriety, I have learned that being in the company of the wrong people can feel lonelier than simply being by yourself.

I have learned that I have more power than I realize.

I have learned that I am completely in control of how I navigate this world and how I treat others.

I have learned that I owe it to the people that care about me and love me to take care of myself properly.

I have learned that it is worth it to sit with those impossibly painful emotions because avoiding them will hurt you more in the long run – work through your problems, don’t ignore them.

 

In the past year, I found a way to connect with myself like I haven’t been able to for a very long time.

 

If I were to impart one lesson onto anyone reading this who may be feeling sober curious, it would be to try it out – even if you don’t feel like you have an addiction.

See if you can go to a family party or a social gathering without wielding your favourite pinot grigio like a shield, or even just practice the habit of saying “No” instead of feeling obliged to say “Yes” when offered a drink.

 

If I can do it, anyone can.

Emma Morrison

Wilfrid Laurier '23

Emma is a classical violinist who loves rap, a sober person who loves a good party, and a general guilty pleasure aficionado. If she's not reading, doing yoga, or chasing her chihuahua Blue around the dog park (he loves a good fight) she's writing or creating a masterful charcuterie board. Emma loves smashing the patriarchy, tear-jerking stories and TV shows, naps, and anything Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez does.
Chelsea Bradley

Wilfrid Laurier '21

Chelsea finished her undergrad with a double major in Biology and Psychology and a minor in Criminology. She loves dogs way too much and has an unhealthy obsession with notebooks and sushi. You can find her quoting memes and listening to throwbacks in her spare - okay basically all - her time. She joined Her Campus in the Fall of 2019 as an editor, acted as one of two senior editors for the Winter 2020 semester and worked alongside Rebecca as one of the Campus Correspondents for the 2020-2021 year!