Kristen Crisp’s Author of the Month article tells the devastating story of her sister Robin, whose education, professional success, and social standing did not protect her from alcohol addiction. With blunt honesty and grief, Kristen describes the warning signs, the family history of drinking, the trauma and loss that intensified Robin’s use, and the painful truth that addiction does not discriminate.

Kristen Crisp writes with sharp humor and lived-experience honesty about the reasons she kept drinking for more than 30 years. From low self-esteem and “liquid courage” to the social pressure that made sobriety seem strange, this Author of the Month piece names the loops that can keep alcohol feeling normal long after it has stopped being fun. It is direct, funny, uncomfortable, and deeply human.

Author and counselor Tim Lineaweaver explores the conflict he felt between opening up about his trauma and addiction and remaining anonymous.