I don't know about you, but my recovery started when I spoke the truth aloud. Speaking it aloud to somebody else gave it flight, lifted it up and away.
Recovering out loud might mean you tell just one person that you are in recovery from suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, or substance use. It doesn't mean you have to start an international movement.
It doesn't mean that you reveal your recovery on social media or the front page of the local newspaper. It might just mean that when somebody around you is talking about a personal struggle or something a family member is going through, you turn to them and say, "I have some personal experience with that.
Do you mind if I share?" When you do share in this way, you will be helping one another and also helping to eliminate stigma. Here's the thing: our voices matter.
As we grow prouder in our recovery, we grow louder in it too. The reason I recover out loud is to lead other women into recovery, to reach those suffering in silence.