Good Morning, Blackout: On Writing Against the Recovery Narrative

“Today I must be very careful. Today I have left my armour at home.” — Jean Rhys, Good Morning, Midnight

“Overthinkers are the most exhausting alcoholics.” — Sarah Hepola, Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget

Vintage Ads from the Quarterly Journal of Inebriety (1876-1914)

In doing research for this blog, I came across the archives of the Quarterly Journal of Inebriety, which are hosted on the site of the addiction history researcher William L. White. I’m trained as an archivist, and am beginning research into the history of addiction treatment, so of course I found this fascinating.

Welcome!

I’m Jess. I’m 33 year old who has dealt with alcohol abuse for the past 15 years. I am starting this blog to share my experiences with alcohol abuse, to share links and information, and to give a voice to people who are still struggling. I am not a therapist or a doctor, just a regular person with a vested interest in these issues.

I am not sober, I don’t endorse AA, and I question the way addiction and recovery are framed in the popular press. That being said– I am not stridently against AA– there are many people who have found great comfort in 12 step philosophy, and if you are curious, please check out a group in your area. This site is for people who are intellectually curious, and would like to explore alternative ways of thinking about addiction without being bombarded with slogans or accused of being in denial.

I hope to get content up and running on this site in the next few weeks.  If you are stumbling upon this site in it’s early stages and have questions, ideas, or suggestions, please feel free to email me.