For our 1 year anniversary podcast, we asked you, our listeners, to send us your story. Several of you did, and two are featured in this episode. Unfortunately, a third suffered damage that made it unplayable, so we weren't able to use it. We hear from listeners Julia and Emily, as well as host Spencer.

Why is it important that we tell our stories? As all three of these stories show, we felt isolated, we felt alone, and we felt that nobody else could possibly understand what was happening in our lives. We all found common ground and understanding when we came to meetings and heard others sharing their own experiences. It is others' stories that draw us in, and give us hope. It is stories that illuminate tools that we can take for our own, that we can use to deal with the problems in our lives.

Julia's story is different from Emily's story, and both are different than mine, in the details. But in the essentials, in the feelings and fears and uncertainties and insecurities, they are quite similar. I know that I identified strongly with elements of both stories, and I am sure that you will, too. You may have heard the expression "Identify, don't compare!" If we compare ourselves to others, saying "Well, I'm not like that!" and "I never would do that thing!", we lose an opportunity to grow and heal. When we look for the ways in which we can identify with another's experience, we can then take their strength and hope into our own program of recovery.