Thanks for this article! I think it is a very well written piece. Sobering, indeed.
I'm at 8 months, and am just beginning to feel better after a very difficult time with a depressive episode. I had read an essay by Christopher Hitchens, not very long ago, where he espoused the need some individuals have to drink, almost as a protective measure, to banish the demons of depression, to keep them alive, as it were.
I remember feeling, at the time, that for me, to drink was inevitable, given a lengthy, painful struggle with a major depressive illness.
But the fog has lifted, thankfully. Hitchens' notion is really bs. Yes, for me and for so many of us, the idea of sobriety, of an abstinent life is frightening, terrifying indeed, but the difference between Hitchens and the people quoted in the article and us, is that we are addressing that fear, we are willing to work bloody hard, and take strength and comfort in the knowledge that we are doing the right thing for our own health and well being, and out of respect for ourselves and for those who care about us.
And yes, we can have fun too!