Waking up, getting ready, going to a party, blacking out, waking up again the next day and doing it all over again. Then waking up on Sunday and trying to get homework and studying done for the week to party again the next weekend. The typical college lifestyle — pre-COVID-19, at least.
What happens if the drinking does not stop during the week? What happens if someone blacks out every time they drink? Would they try and get help?
Fun Sh*t Blog, written and managed by business administration student Stephanie Still, is a chronicle of a journey through sobriety.
Still started the blog in April after she had been journaling about her struggles with alcohol addiction and her journey to sobriety.
She first started drinking in high school. Still noticed that she was always the one that ended up drinking way more than her friends.
When she came to Cal Poly, the drinking did not stop. She said her bad relationship with alcohol only became more apparent.
“It was after a couple different times that it got really bad that my friends said ‘I think you should see someone,’” Still said.
Still’s boyfriend, who at the time was also a student at Cal Poly, was able to get her to seek help. She found a counselor at Cal Poly’s counseling center.
“I almost didn’t even go because I was so nervous to admit to someone else that I had a problem because up until that point I had only admitted it to my boyfriend,” Still said.
Her decision to become sober did not happen overnight. Still’s blog came from a journaling exercise with her therapist that she met through Cal Poly’s counseling center. In this exercise she realized that most of her problems were related to her alcohol consumption.
Now sober eight months, Still has gained a following. Her instagram account associated with the blog, @funsh*tblog, has more than 1,000 followers. She also started a YouTube channel that documents her sober lifestyle.
Although the blog has become a way for Still to remain sober, she hopes that it can also be a resource for other people to find their way to sobriety.
“There’s not one certain type of alcoholic and it can affect anyone,” Still said. “It doesn’t know boundaries.”
Editor’s Note: If you are struggling with addiction or thinking about becoming sober, check out this website: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline.