I own it, I didn't, not proud that was me, and when I face it a little dignity, not looking for excuse me, I just want to be free from power, weakness head on me, free, free, free, free, free.

Hi there, everyone, and welcome to the bubble hour where real people tell real stories of

addiction and recovery. My name is Gene McCarthy. I write a blog about my experiences of life

after alcohol called Unpickled, recapping the ups and downs of sobriety over the past eight years

since my very first day of sobriety.

I tell my story there, and I invite you to share your stories here.

Today we meet a woman with 109 days, by my calculations, just over 100 days of sobriety,

as of this recording who never imagined that she would be able to quit drinking,

let alone talk about her alcohol use and the reasons for it here on a podcast.

People pleasing and perfectionism are common precursors for maladaptive coping skills,

including alcohol use disorder.

Now imagine how those presets would be exacerbated by being a media personality.

Our guest today is Virginia, a former news anchor and TV host who is learning a lot about

herself as she clears alcohol out of her life and starts to focus on healing herself from

the inside out.

Virginia, welcome to the bubble hour.

Thank you.

I can't believe this is happening.

Well, I'm glad that you are willing to do this

and that it's really helpful to hear from people who are really in those early stages of it.

I mean, you have a significant amount of time under your belt,

but you're at three months,

...