I own it, I did that, not proud, but that was me, and when I face it, I take back a little dignity, not looking for excuses, I just want to be free from power. Weakness had on me. Free, free, free, free, free.

Hi, everyone. I'm Gene McCarthy, and this is a very special episode of the bubble hour, the podcast where real people tell their stories of addiction and recovery.

And today, well, the holidays are upon us, so I've asked some beloved friends of our show to send in their best wishes for all of you.

So please enjoy.

Hi, bubble hour listeners.

This is Lottadan,

aka Mrs. D,

wishing you a safe and sober Christmas and New Year's.

Here's my favorite party tip for having fun without booze.

Make a mental list of all the things that are inherent in an event that are making it special.

What are the things that are making this party or event special?

Things that aren't what liquid I've got in my glass.

Is it that you're wearing a new outfit?

Is it that you're seeing people you haven't seen for a while?

Is it that you're not at work and you're not answering a bunch of emails all day?

What is it that makes this event special?

We give the liquid in our glass so much power to make things fun and it's just ridiculous

because oftentimes there are all these other things that make it special.

So really focus on those. And also don't forget to connect with that. ridiculous because oftentimes there are all these other things that make it special so really

focus on those and also don't forget to connect with other people who are sober it's really important

because sometimes you feel like you're the only person in the world that's not boozing your way

through the holidays it's not true there are so many of us i'll be spending the holidays with my extended family, my family,

...