I Am Not an Alcoholic: Some friends are distancing themselves from me. It hurts, but there is nothing I can do about it
Part 21: A lot more people know who is writing these articles, and I have mixed feelings about this
Part 21: A lot more people know who is writing these articles, and I have mixed feelings about this
Part 20: ‘Becoming a non-drinker changes you, or, at least, it changed me’
Part 19: Often humour is used to camouflage our inner feelings – our fears and anxiety can be assuaged by humour
Part 18: ‘Even though I hadn’t relapsed, I felt as if needing help was shameful’
Part 17: Although most people in the cafe are drinking coffee like me, some are having absinthe in between sips of coffee. It is 9.30am. How do they do that?
Part 16: She’ll think I’m sick if I don’t have a glass of wine. In fact, I was sick when I was having glasses of wine
Part 15: This is my third Christmas without alcohol. You’d think I’d be used to it - it doesn’t work like that. Every day is a challenge, and I must be aware that alcohol is forbidden to me
Part 14: I have discovered who I am. I question a lot of things; things I accepted willingly before
Part 13: The novelty of being sober is long gone
Part 12: Can you imagine the looks I would get if people saw me drinking a glass of wine?
Part 11: Life is not always going to go as planned and if we can accept this then maybe we can handle the suffering when it comes
Part 10: I recently read that observing clouds in the sky is very good for our mental health. I thought it was just me who found it so calming
Part nine: I am wondering if I should perhaps try AA again. It might be a different experience when I’ve had several months’ sobriety. We’ll see
Part eight: The next time an opportunity to travel comes along, maybe I can enjoy a little of the anticipation
Part seven: I was anxious going away with my wine-loving friend but I felt accomplished stepping off the plane home sober
Part six: The longer I am sober, the more incentive I have to stay sober. Do I want to throw that away?
Part five: I am in the middle of a family crisis. Not to take a drink requires a discipline I would compare to the training of Olympian athletes
Part four: I hate to dash other drinkers’ hopes of quitting, but this isn’t getting easier yet
Part three: I joked with her about cleansing her soul and asked if she had tried confession
Just a handful of people knew I was in rehab, partly because of my fear of failure. What if I fall off the wagon?
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices