Dear Community,
I was texting with my friend Tracy Murphy (who runs LGBTteetotaler) last night about social distancing and our new sudden normal — when they reminded me: We are sober, we have been practicing social distancing for years, we have prepared for this moment.
We know about tea and books and canceling plans and dancing by ourselves and how to develop strong empathic bonds through emojis. We know how to have conversations with ourselves in the mirror using positive affirmations. We know all about using whatever means necessary to connect with people without having to actually see them.
To those of you who have been in recovery: We have been training for times like these, in various ways, some of us for months or even years or even decades.
This is a reminder to those of you who have been in recovery: We have been training for times like these, in various ways, some of us for months or even years or even decades. And a rallying cry for those of you just sticking our toe into sobriety, who are newly sober, who are terrified of what it means to lose what social connections you have: you can do this.
We at Tempest and The Temper closed our offices in New York at the end of the day last Wednesday likely until the end of April. We also canceled all IRL events and work travel, because most notably, we can; we have the privilege to work from home and keep our jobs and carry on. And because it is paramount that we do our part, act on that privilege, and stop the spread of COVID-19 as best we can to both support those who are susceptible and take whatever strain we can off of our healthcare system (flatten the curve).
A lot of us are in recovery at Tempest and The Temper, and we understand that isolation is a fucker, that these are anxious times, that for some of our friends in recovery (and fellow humans, period) this means immediate financial impact, even economic ruin. We have and will continue to share resources and hold space for the sober/soberish/recovery community; you can check out many of them below, and over the coming weeks we will be sending out emails with new content, options to join us for live video chats, or even trainings and courses, and other tips, tools, stories, and programming to support you during this very weird and uncertain time. If you’re not already subscribed to the Tempest newsletter, you can sign up here.
Know this: We are an incredible, resilient, brave, thoughtful, strong community. We have survived untold things; we will continue to do that.
Lastly, a thought: This has been an unreal week; we had to make decisions fast that we weren’t prepared for. I felt the ground fall out from under me for a moment last Thursday, unsure of how we, and I mean the royal we, will get through this. And then I watched the folks I work with pull together and come up with plan after plan; I saw support and kindness and patience and stubbornness and resiliency; a refusal to give in to the worst story, a determination to forge ahead with everyone. I didn’t get sober for a really long time because I underestimated myself and what I was capable of surviving. Know this: We are an incredible, resilient, brave, thoughtful, strong community. We have survived untold things; we will continue to do that.
Here’s what I recommend: Take a breath, take care of yourself, stay in touch with folks in any measure that you can, check-in on those who need checking in on; believe in yourself and others; keep good physical distance, but remember physical isn’t social distance – lean on your community. Use this downtime as an opportunity as much as you can; be as creative as possible with what this all means; look for the nuggets of goodness around us all, because they are there.
With love and hope and fortitude,
Holly
RESOURCES TO CHECK OUT FROM TEMPEST + THE TEMPER
- Read all of The Temper’s stories in Your COVID-19 Addiction Recovery Resource Guide
- For extra support, explore membership at Tempest — and get ready to live an alcohol-free life you love.
