I’ve been quiet lately—because I’ve been healing. Not just physically, but emotionally too.
I recently had a painful shingles outbreak. And while it might sound like just another flare-up to some, for me, it was a harsh reminder: my body doesn’t handle stress like it used to.
Any form of pressure—whether physical, emotional, or even just a busy week—can leave me completely broken. Weak. Worn down. Exhausted. And this time, it hit me hard.
What made it even more difficult was realizing that in the past, I would’ve numbed all of this with alcohol. I wouldn’t have sat in the pain. I wouldn’t have felt the fear. I wouldn’t have had to face the questions like “Will I ever feel normal again?” or “Why is my body always fighting something?”
But I’m sober now. And sobriety doesn’t let you run.
It makes you feel everything.
It forces you to sit in the mess.
And it teaches you that healing isn’t always pretty—but it is powerful.
I won’t lie. There were moments I wanted to escape, to go back to the old way of coping. But I didn’t. Because I’ve come too far to go backward.
This is the raw, unfiltered side of sobriety that no one posts about.
The sick days. The dark days. The lonely moments when your old life whispers, “It was easier back then.”
But it wasn’t. I was just more numb.
Now I feel everything. And while it hurts, it also means I’m truly alive.
If you’re in a battle—physically, mentally, or spiritually—please know this: you’re not weak for feeling broken. You’re brave for choosing to face it without the escape.
This is Sober Without Secrets.
No hiding. No pretending. Just healing—day by day.
Sober Without Secrets 