First-Person Writing About Addiction
Many of my friends have successfully overcome addition. So many I’ve lost count. And my guess is that most of our mutual friends don’t know anything about the challenges in their past. I understand and respect that it’s a private matter (not a secret—there’s a huge distinction). But I also know through personal experience how powerful the stories of sobriety can be when told in public.
The first time I heard one was in my rural high school in North Dakota. The beloved secretary came to our health classroom one day to talk about a time when she felt so depressed she had to fight with herself not to steer her car into the lane of oncoming semi trucks on the highway.
It was a family’s story. In our small community, we all knew her sons (great wrestlers!) and her husband. I can still picture her standing in front of the class and talking about how alcoholism had devastated their lives.
By that time, I already knew young people who were addicted to substances. Some of them got sober quickly. Some of them battled for decades. Likewise, some of my adult friends got addicted during high school, before I knew them. Some got sober quickly. Some struggled until recently. Some are still struggling.
It might be that you’ve never talked with someone about this topic. So I’d like to share two of the most brutal and beautiful pieces I’ve seen in quite a while.
An excerpt from “The Last Stop,” chapter one of Katie’s forthcoming book.
One is from a well-known local restaurateur. Her story is told from her first-person perspective in her own words, in a stark black-and-white newsprint style. It is not particularly well edited, but that only adds to its authenticity. I ordered the first installment from her company’s online store. The second installment just came out. She is selling it in serial format ahead of a book project that will be published later this spring.
Image by Stacy Kranitz for ProPublica.
One is from a mom you might look down on if you saw her on the street. It’s told with compassion and grit by a talented writing and photography team from the nonprofit news outlet ProPublica. The online publishing format might be unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Addiction is not the impetus for telling this story, but the protagonist’s sobriety is an important part of her life.
I am in awe of both of these women (and their loved ones) for their bravery in sharing their most intimate experiences publicly with the goal of helping others.