The Spring of '89 – Borrowed Keg & Sorority Shenanigans

Welcome to 2025!
As we step into the new year, let me ask—do you set intentions, goals, or resolutions? For me, I like to focus on a word of the year, and this year, my word is MOVEMENT—mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I’m feeling great about how I’ve kicked things off!

Today, I want to share a memory from 2003 during my time at Marshall Fields—my biggest and best customer. Those were special days filled with meaningful connections with the chefs, managers, and staff. I truly cherished the deep relationships I built with so many of them.

We also had a tradition—a Wednesday ritual that started with a full day at the store and ended with happy hour at the Renaissance Hotel Lobby Lounge. This was every week for several years. It was drink after drink, laugh after laugh, and story after story. At the time, it felt like fun. But looking back, it was also drink after drunk, topped off with the dangerous and reckless choice of drunk driving home.

This memory is a reminder of how far I’ve come on my journey. It’s moments like these that shaped my decision to quit drinking and embrace a life of clarity and purpose.

In this episode of 420 Reasons Why I Quit Drinking Alcohol, I share the story of an all-expense-paid cruise to Mexico in 2000—a trip that started with a blizzard, airport screwdrivers, and high hopes for fun. But what began as excitement quickly turned into regret, as drinking left me too sick to enjoy the cruise. I reflect on how alcohol, which I thought added to my life, was actually taking away from it.

I wish this experience had been my wake-up call, but it still took me years to fully understand and make the changes I needed.

In this episode, I reflect on a poignant memory tied to a beautiful white dress. Originally worn to a junior-senior dance, I also wore it for my senior picture. But what should have been a cherished keepsake became a symbol of my struggle with alcohol. While I remember the party before the dance, the events after remain a blackout blur, leaving me with a ripped dress and unanswered questions.

This story highlights the pattern alcohol had on my life—a gateway to fun for many, but for me, it often led to blackouts and consequences I couldn’t recall. For years, alcohol had a tight grip on me, distorting my sense of control and self. Today, I am profoundly grateful to have broken free from its hold, embracing a life of clarity, growth, and gratitude.