Dear Deborah. I can't remember which writer it was on here who wrote a piece about how we should be sharing the stories we don't want to: the ones that expose the raw and vulnerable parts of ourselves. It may have been Natalie. You say you think I should have gone with my first instinct, which (I may have got this wrong) seems to suggest you think I shouldn't have shared this here. And in reply, i would say that before anything can be healed, it first needs to be named. Shame is such an insidious one. And the antidote is empathy. It is only because Ed was courageous enough to allow me to share his story, and that i overcame my reluctance and hit publish, that I have been able to begin to loosen the knots of shame. Because of all the wonderful, generous readers here who have empathised with what I am going through and shared their stories. Stories have the power to heal. Empathy is the antidote to shame. And i think Natalie was right - it is the stories we least want to share that contain the things most in need of healing. And in sharing them we may reach people with similar stories who will benefit too from that sharing. They will feel less alone, and, I hope, draw comfort from the comments section. My hope also is that this might reach anyone struggling with alcoholism who has not yet had the courage to ask for help. I hope Ed inspires them.

I hope what I have written here helps you to understand why I shared the story. And perhaps inspires you to tell any stories you have that hold any seeds of an emotion in need of healing. In kindness, A🙏💚