Mary Stephens | Source | Author

I am happy to report that after a 30-year abusive relationship with alcohol, I've been continuously sober since 2011. I quit drinking when my kids were 4 and 5 and have remained married to my "normie" husband through it all. In my experience, new sobriety was a bitch - I never want to go through that again - and while longterm sobriety can still be challenging at times, overall I am grateful and content. AA helped me create community and learn important life lessons and coping skills. I'd be happy to share my experience, strength and hope, along with some handy survival tips for getting through this booze-soaked world.

A television writer/director/producer for more than 20 years, I worked for HGTV, Food Network, and National Geographic on everything from travel and cooking shows to home design and Hitler. Now I have turned my focus to my own story and have written a forthcoming sobriety memoir UNCORKED. The first chapter was a finalist in the 2022 San Francisco Writers Convention Contest. I was interviewed in the July 25, 2023, HuffPost article by Marie Holmes: “I’m Sober and My Partner is Not. Here’s How We Make It Work.” I live in Northern California with my husband and two children. When not writing, I might be stalking my teens on Life360, planning our next vacation, or more likely, looking for my phone.