WELCOME! It’s Been One Hell of a Week…

Now that all of the excitement from being “freshly pressed” has settled, I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome my new followers. Though it’s only been ten days since we launched Portraits of Addiction, the exposure from the freshly pressed feature has catapulted us into blogger superstardom. And I really owe it all to one tenacious, young woman, whose devotion to promoting global literacy has empowered hundreds of children and inspired countless others. Of course, I’m talking about Ashley LaMar, writer, activist, and all around exceptional person, and the author of the now legendary blog that brought us all together: How Room to Read Changed My Life. It’s because of Ashley and her willingness to share her story of hope, strength, and courage that I have this wonderful opportunity to talk to you all today and tell you a little bit about what I do. But before I go into all that I want to make sure Ashley gets her much deserved recognition. After all, we never would’ve been “pressed” had it not been for her abilities.

If you haven’t already, please stop by her website, Closed the Cover, where you will find some exquisitely written reviews of books in all sorts of different genres. Everything from memoirs to mysteries to historical romance…if it’s got pages and a spine, Ashley’s got you covered. She’s even got a review of my personal favorite, Some Are Sicker Than Others (wink wink).

Also, if you’re interested in helping promote global literacy please visit her Room to Read page. She’s still accepting donations. It’s a great cause and super worth it. (Plus, I’ll bet if you make a donation, Ashley will personally thank you and even help you promote your own website and/or project.

Okay. Now, are you ready?

Without further adieu, I present to you PORTRAITS OF ADDICTION! The one and only blog dedicated to celebrating recovery & eliminating the stigma of addiction. Thank you so much for clicking that follow button. I appreciate your support. I promise, you won’t be disappointed.

As you may have already guessed, I’m a recovering addict going on five years clean and sober. Though my life is somewhat mellow now, it wasn’t always like that. In fact, it used to be downright chaotic. It seemed, every other weekend I was in the hospital, strapped down to a bed by my wrists and ankles, shaking from alcohol withdrawal, trying not to go into convulsions. My alcoholism got so bad, neither my family nor I thought I was going make it. I even began contemplating suicide to speed up the process.

The biggest hinderance to my recovery was accepting my illness. For much too long, I viewed it as a “disgraceful weakness.” I was so ashamed of my inability to stop drinking that I pushed everyone away who was trying to help me; friends, family, psychiatrists, counselors—I cut communication with them, because I was too ashamed to face them.

Fortunately, I had what people in AA describe as a “moment of clarity” where I finally accepted my illness for what it was; a medical condition (most often manifested by some kind of chemical imbalance in the central nervous system).

I was one of the lucky ones. Most people don’t make it. They end up in jails, mental institutions, and sometimes coffins.

Yes, we’ve come a long way in treating addiction. (We no longer flog alcoholics with a bullwhip…although sometimes we’d probably like to). However, there is still a sense of shame attached to this crippling illness. And I believe it’s this shame that keeps many of us from admitting the problem and getting treatment.

But I aim to change that. I aim to “Break the Stigma & Celebrate Recovery” by removing the “second A” in Alcoholics Anonymous. By sharing our stories of hope, strength, and courage, I believe we can help those still struggling with the denial of their problem.

Every week from this point forward, I will be sharing a story of one addict’s struggle towards recovery. But fair warning—the stories are probably not suitable for children. From what I’ve seen so far, they are loaded with depravity and brutal honesty. However, it’s only through our bottoms that we were able to recover. And I guarantee that once you see the person’s portrait juxtaposed against their harrowing story, you’ll wonder how they came out on the other end so alive and filled with purpose.

Thank you again for stopping by my blog and clicking the follow button. I have big hopes for this little project.

(And if you’d like to share your story of hope, strength, and courage please click on the Contact page for more details)

Warm Regards,

Andrew Seaward