Elizabeth

“Being high on whatever your drug of choice is feels great, and that’s why it’s easy to convince yourself your life is great until you wake up and hate everything.”
― Amber Tozer, Sober Stick Figure: A Memoir

“The version of you that wore smaller pants The version of you that wore ten sizes bigger than you do now All those versions are good The you in the photos way back in your camera roll that make your heart sink Because you feel you’ve let yourself go—that version and this version? Both good The version of you that you’d never want to mentally feel like But still wish you physically looked like”
― Josie Balka, I Hope You Remember: Poems on Loving, Longing, and Living

“When you’re drunk all of the time, you don’t care about anyone but yourself and all you want to do is feel good and escape discomfort. Helping other people, or even caring about them too much, isn’t possible. It either felt like an inconvenience or a situation that needed intimacy and empathy. No, thank you.”
― Amber Tozer, Sober Stick Figure: A Memoir

“To be unapologetic and full of confidence felt incredible. It was like a spiritual experience. I spent so much time worrying about everything and trying to get people to like me. Not caring about anything made me feel like I was connected to some all-knowing being that made whatever choice I made feel like the right one. Alcohol had a powerful effect over me, and I was completely unaware of how much I needed it.”
― Amber Tozer, Sober Stick Figure: A Memoir