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Awakening Blackout Girl: A Survivor's Guide for Healing from Addiction and Sexual Trauma
In this honest and practical guide, rape survivor and victim advocate Jennifer Storm shares the information, tools, and resources she has gained from more than twenty years of personal and professional experience to help fellow survivors recover from co-occurring sexual trauma and substance use.
In recent years, the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements have exposed the truth that many already sexual violence, victimization, and rape culture are real, pervasive, and causing widespread trauma for millions of survivors. This newfound visibility is also shedding light on the lack of resources available for victims to cope and heal from their pain. Perhaps it’s not surprising that many turn to whatever coping mechanisms are close by, which often include alcohol, other drugs, and unhealthy behaviors. How can people in recovery from both sexual trauma and substance use heal in a place where victim-blaming and addiction stigma collide?
Jennifer Storm is living proof that there is hope. In her memoir Blackout Girl, she shared her story and showed survivors that they are not alone. In Awakening Blackout Girl , Jennifer goes further by providing the road map she used to wake herself up from the drug-fueled numbness that was killing her and to achieve a fulfilling life of recovery and advocacy. With more than twenty years of experience helping other victims through the criminal justice system, Jennifer knows what survivors face. In this guide, she provides the exercises, tools, and wisdom they need to heal. The foreword by Kristen Schmidt, MD, an addiction psychiatrist and trauma expert at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, provides essential context on the clinical treatment of sexual trauma and addiction and how Jennifer’s strategies can help you find recovery.
While covering crucial subjects ranging from shame and self-harm to sex and relationships, Jennifer’s message is Neither your pain, nor your offender, nor anyone else who doubts your strength gets to finish your story. You have the power to write your ending. You can survive, you can heal, and you can thrive .
In recent years, the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements have exposed the truth that many already sexual violence, victimization, and rape culture are real, pervasive, and causing widespread trauma for millions of survivors. This newfound visibility is also shedding light on the lack of resources available for victims to cope and heal from their pain. Perhaps it’s not surprising that many turn to whatever coping mechanisms are close by, which often include alcohol, other drugs, and unhealthy behaviors. How can people in recovery from both sexual trauma and substance use heal in a place where victim-blaming and addiction stigma collide?
Jennifer Storm is living proof that there is hope. In her memoir Blackout Girl, she shared her story and showed survivors that they are not alone. In Awakening Blackout Girl , Jennifer goes further by providing the road map she used to wake herself up from the drug-fueled numbness that was killing her and to achieve a fulfilling life of recovery and advocacy. With more than twenty years of experience helping other victims through the criminal justice system, Jennifer knows what survivors face. In this guide, she provides the exercises, tools, and wisdom they need to heal. The foreword by Kristen Schmidt, MD, an addiction psychiatrist and trauma expert at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, provides essential context on the clinical treatment of sexual trauma and addiction and how Jennifer’s strategies can help you find recovery.
While covering crucial subjects ranging from shame and self-harm to sex and relationships, Jennifer’s message is Neither your pain, nor your offender, nor anyone else who doubts your strength gets to finish your story. You have the power to write your ending. You can survive, you can heal, and you can thrive .
208 pages, Paperback
Published October 6, 2020
About the author
Jennifer Storm
9 books106 followersSurvivor. Author. Advocate. Victim’s Rights Expert. Having worked many high profile cases including helping victims of; Jerry Sandusky, Bill Cosby, Catholic Clergy victims and thousands of other cases in her twenty year long career as a victim advocate, Jennifer Storm is often times the first call media make when stories break.
Governor Tom Wolf recently re-appointed Mrs. Storm for a 2nd six year term as the Victim Advocate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvnaia in December 2019. Governor Tom Corbett had previously nominated her as Commonwealth Victim Advocate on Nov. 8, 2013, and she was unanimously confirmed by the state Senate on Dec. 10, 2013. As Victim Advocate, she is responsible for representing the rights and interests of crime victims within the Commonwealth. She is the President Elect of the National Crime Victim Law Institute in Portland Oregon.
She was born and raised near Allentown, PA and attended Northampton High School. She graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Services and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management from The University of Phoenix. She studied Conflict Resolution and Dispute Management at The ILR School of Cornell University.
Her media appearances are vast, and include frequent appearances on all major networks including, ABC, FOX, NBC, NPR, CBS and PBS as the county spokesperson for victims rights. She has appeared on The Today Show, ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, CBS 48 Hours Live to Tell program and E! News online. In 2002, Mrs. Storm also publicly debated Oliver North live on his syndicated talk show Common Sense with Oliver North regarding LGBTQ rights.
She has been profiled or appeared in the following publications; The New York Times, People Magazine, Business Week, The Washington Post, LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, The New Yorker, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Marie Claire Magazine, Curve Magazine, The Advocate, Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, WE Magazine, Women Magazine and many more.
Mrs. Storm has traveled the country giving keynotes, lectures, workshops, and panel discussions regarding victims’ rights, LGBT rights, addiction and recovery, and civil rights.
Jennifer lives at home in Camp Hill PA with her wife, they are foster parents and adoptive parents of a son.
Mrs. Storm is very comfortable giving interviews, both taped and live. Jennifer is the author of four critically acclaimed books on addiction, recovery and victimization. Echoes of Penn State: Facing Sexual Trauma, Picking Up the Pieces Without Picking Up: A Guidebook Through Victimization for People in Recovery, Leave the Light On: A Memoir of Recovery and Self-Discovery and Blackout Girl: Growing Up and Drying Out in America. She is available for all speaking engagements, including keynote presentations, workshops, panel discussions, and book signings.
Jennifer is currently filming a documentary based on her first memoir, Blackout Girl.
If you are interesting in booking Mrs. Storm for presentations, workshops or anything related to her books or film please visit this page to learn more.
If you are interesting in speaking with Mrs. Storm in her role as Victim Advocate, please contact her assistant at rebressler@pa.gov.
Governor Tom Wolf recently re-appointed Mrs. Storm for a 2nd six year term as the Victim Advocate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvnaia in December 2019. Governor Tom Corbett had previously nominated her as Commonwealth Victim Advocate on Nov. 8, 2013, and she was unanimously confirmed by the state Senate on Dec. 10, 2013. As Victim Advocate, she is responsible for representing the rights and interests of crime victims within the Commonwealth. She is the President Elect of the National Crime Victim Law Institute in Portland Oregon.
She was born and raised near Allentown, PA and attended Northampton High School. She graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Services and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management from The University of Phoenix. She studied Conflict Resolution and Dispute Management at The ILR School of Cornell University.
Her media appearances are vast, and include frequent appearances on all major networks including, ABC, FOX, NBC, NPR, CBS and PBS as the county spokesperson for victims rights. She has appeared on The Today Show, ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, CBS 48 Hours Live to Tell program and E! News online. In 2002, Mrs. Storm also publicly debated Oliver North live on his syndicated talk show Common Sense with Oliver North regarding LGBTQ rights.
She has been profiled or appeared in the following publications; The New York Times, People Magazine, Business Week, The Washington Post, LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, The New Yorker, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Marie Claire Magazine, Curve Magazine, The Advocate, Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, WE Magazine, Women Magazine and many more.
Mrs. Storm has traveled the country giving keynotes, lectures, workshops, and panel discussions regarding victims’ rights, LGBT rights, addiction and recovery, and civil rights.
Jennifer lives at home in Camp Hill PA with her wife, they are foster parents and adoptive parents of a son.
Mrs. Storm is very comfortable giving interviews, both taped and live. Jennifer is the author of four critically acclaimed books on addiction, recovery and victimization. Echoes of Penn State: Facing Sexual Trauma, Picking Up the Pieces Without Picking Up: A Guidebook Through Victimization for People in Recovery, Leave the Light On: A Memoir of Recovery and Self-Discovery and Blackout Girl: Growing Up and Drying Out in America. She is available for all speaking engagements, including keynote presentations, workshops, panel discussions, and book signings.
Jennifer is currently filming a documentary based on her first memoir, Blackout Girl.
If you are interesting in booking Mrs. Storm for presentations, workshops or anything related to her books or film please visit this page to learn more.
If you are interesting in speaking with Mrs. Storm in her role as Victim Advocate, please contact her assistant at rebressler@pa.gov.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 3, 2025
I'm not convinced to every statement that is presented in this book (e.g. "find people who will take your broken parts (sic!) with love "- why broken?), sometimes it also felt a bit repetitive or cliché-y ("let that shit go"?). However it also touches topics that can be perceived as more universal, e.g. about shame. "Shame is an emotional cancer that, if left untreated, will just eat away a person", "it's not truly an emotional experience: it is a biological response to trauma". It also talks about shame spiral (when one has anxiety that puts oneself into the hole of self-loathing). Anyway: important book on important topic, written with a lot of bravery.
June 11, 2021
Although it contains sensitive details and situations that may trigger people, this book was so well-written and an important read for those looking to heal. We're now in a day and age where more and more people come forward to speak about their experiences which gives strength to those who are suffering and finding it difficult to move through tough times.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews