If you have a history of drinking, you might be familiar with the ridiculous and even shameful things you end up doing when drunk. Maybe you’ve woken up next to someone you didn’t know or perhaps you committed a crime while inebriated.
There are many embarrassing moments that can come out of being under the influence of alcohol. And Sara Hepola should know. She is the author of Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget. This book discusses many heartbreaking and self-destructive moments Hepola had while she was addicted to alcohol. Ironically, however, she describes in her book that she felt a sense of power while drinking. She not only felt less inhibited but she also felt stronger on the inside. In an NPR interview, Hepola describes how she felt she had the power to say what she meant in a voice that was firm and forceful, which is different than how she is when sober. The book also describes Hepola’s promiscuity, frequent blackouts, and painful attempts to cover up her shame through more drinking.
Exploring the past in recovery is meant to be an exercise of healing and inspiration – just as it was for Sarah Hepola to write her book. She had to revisit the many painful moments of her past when she wrote about the 25 years she spent drinking alcohol. But certainly doing so brought insight, healing, and inspiration.
Sarah shares more about her past with alcohol in this interview with The Morning Show. In this interview she also talks about her life after addiction. She is 50 pounds lighter and taking good care of herself. Sarah also explains that she was a functioning alcohol. As a long-time editor of Salon Magazine, Sarah learned to tolerate her alcohol. She worked long hours and she also drank for long periods of time. Binge drinking was her usual drinking pattern. And among her friends, Sarah was known for being able to hold her liquor more than anyone else.
Sarah’s book, Blackout, also discusses the phenomena of experiencing amnesia as a result of drinking too much alcohol. Sarah writes about you can feel as though you’re wide awake, but in fact, once sober again you don’t remember an iota of what happened while drunk. This author hopes to shed light on the dangers of alcohol and how it can subtly lead to a downward spiral, such as developing poor health, unhealthy relationships, and loss of family and friends.
Sarah lives near Dallas, Texas where she continues to focus on her sobriety while spreading the message that there’s life after addiction. In her interviews, she talks about the fear that most people have that sobriety is boring. Or that they won’t be able to maintain their friendships once sober. Sarah emphasizes that life after addiction can be just as exciting. She explains that you’re more available to life and you no longer need to carry the pain you were always trying to push away.
You can find more about Sarah and her book here: SarahHepola.com