“Getting sober was not easy for me. Even though it’s 13 years that I celebrate being clean from drinking and drugs, I still clearly remember the physical pain from withdrawals, the profound desire to die, and the overwhelming sense of loneliness I felt that day I decided to quit.
You quickly realize who your real friends are when you make such big changes. And to be honest, I was left with almost no one.
On day two of detoxing, I was failing to talk myself out of killing myself when a friend came over, and found the most pathetic/vulnerable version of me on my apartment floor.
He said, “Come on, Kat. Get up and let’s draw.” I managed to scrape myself up somehow, find a piece of paper and whatever pencils were laying around.
Looking back, I realize he was just helping me put one foot in front of the other. Maybe it was just a distraction, or maybe it was his way of helping me refocus on the one thing that has always saved me from myself.”