hey y’all,
tonight i’m dropping a special episode in which i engage in a bit of storytelling—this time i’m telling some of my story of addiction and recovery. last week marked six years of sobriety for me, on march 22.
my story is one of mini-stories, multiple instances and phases of me grasping for power from a position of no power.
we’ve been reflecting about empowerment journalism a lot here at mainline and what that means to us. for me, empowerment journalism is, in part, taking the power of the story back. letting those who have lived through it tell their stories. we are our greatest sources. i also believe the power lies in our relating to solutions rather than continuously disempowering narratives.
one of the most freeing moments of my life was when someone told me that i’m not the one that’s fucked up; it’s the paradigm i’m living in. it’s the stories about me i’ve been told and that i’ve adopted to be my belief systems.
we deserve a new story.
when i read about addiction in the news, i never see mention of potential pathways to recovery or stories told from a place of recovery. addiction is always portrayed as a helpless state of being, with absolutely no way out. while active addiction is absolutely a helpless state of being, there is a way out.
for me this is similar to how we are told there is no other way except capitalism, the carceral state, and the prison industrial complex. we’re led to believe there’s no way out of this mess, when we have so many options.
i stop and wonder who benefits from a disempowered and imprisoned people, whether imprisoned in their own minds, limiting stories, or in jail/prison cells. who benefits from deaths from overdoses, opioid addictions, and from a booming alcohol industry. i think you get it.
i wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the concepts and practice of mutual aid, abolition, and my own imagination.
please be aware that my story contains mention of sexual assault/rape, being arrested/jail, and eating disorders, specifically anorexia.
thanks for listening and supporting us with your patronage.
we’re looking ahead to a very bright future. for those who don’t feel like that now, please know—for every bit of darkness, there is light <3
solidarity,
aja
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INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
this post was written and recorded on the ancestral lands of the muskogee (creek) tribe now known as “atlanta, ga.”
