Any time someone as so mentions that movie, I get an instant image of Keanu’s arms in that tight white shirt.  

I’m a dude. Pretty sure the video for “Only Happy When it Rains” by Garbage triggered my puberty.

The movie Chopping Mall https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090837/

George Clooney in ER. 10-year-old me was obsessed with the idea of being suddenly kissed by a handsome salt-and-pepper haired man wearing scrubs. I’m sure that will come up in therapy one day.

The book “My First Love and Other Disasters”—found in the kids section (!) of my hometown library-- had a scene that blew my little ten year old self into another realm of consciousness. Only later did I realise that what was happening between a barely consenting babysitter and a much older teen raised a lot of red…

Diedre Hall in spandex in Elektra Woman & Dyna Girl. Yeah, I’m old.

The red power ranger. Don’t look at pics of him now. 

I normally don’t do slideshows, but I had to find out how a grocery bagger triggered a sexual awakening.

sometimes a single article can change someones life. or a series of coincidental pieces of art lined up and experienced in a small amount of time. a movie, finding a song the next day, stumbling accross a recommended article, all there like it’s a sign, if you want it to be. This is that for me. Thanks, dear…

Congrats! That’s awesome. I quite smoking cigarettes/tobacco during the pandemic. Smoked for 30 years so it was hard as heck but I am so happy I did. #CovidsSilverLining

Thank you for this beautifully written piece that hit me right in the chest.  I am still in the throes of dependency, and want so badly to be free.  You’ve given me a lot to think about, thank you.

Hey! I’m SO happy for you. Open-heartedly, glad-you-have-selfless-friends-who-are-team-you kind of people. So happy you didn’t die when you were putting yourself in maybe-I’ll-die situations.

I loved this piece. Please keep writing, whether or not you become that Very Successful Writer. I for one will keep reading.

Thanks so much for this beautiful and powerful piece, Danielle. I’m newly sober and this is just what I needed to read today. I think you’re already well on your way to being phenomenal.

2.5 years sober and I relate to so much of this. Especially the shame and the bit about learning to see the strength in the struggle. I’ve been thinking similar things lately. I almost forget now that I used to be so gone, and that forgetting has triggered a revisiting of all those old shames. I try to remind myself…

Articles like this are why I started reading Jezebel. Thank you for your authentic voice and for taking the time to find it again. 

I laughed and teared up reading this. What a beautiful gift you’ve given by writing and sharing this essay. Thank you. With gratitude and community, onward!

It’s not your fault. That’s what alcohol does to the brain. Stopping feels terrifying because of how alcohol affects the brain. Annie Grace’s work helped me tremendously—figure out why I drank more than I wanted, why I both desperately wanted to get out of the alcohol trap, while it also felt so impossible to break…

Great write up, thank you for putting it out there for all of us to see. I’ve been sober for about a year and a half and I’m still learning how to enjoy myself around friends and, well, myself. It has been especially challenging with friends and family who hold drinking as an important part of their leisure time. One…

This was a wonderful read, and congratulations! I think that most of us wish we were more. I certainly have had fantasies about having a talent, or being exceptional at something, but the truth is, I’m a rather ordinary person. I think the difference is that the desire is not controlling of who I am. Once you fully…

I wish you the best and really enjoyed reading your essay.  That’s it.  Best of luck to you as you continue moving forward in your sobriety.  I look forward to hearing more from you...particularly the small town and your cat.  More about the cat.