Coming Fall 2025!

A Note from the Author:

June 20, 2025 was a HUGE milestone for me. I submitted my book BLURRED LINES: My Reclamation of Power from Alcohol Addiction (P.S. You are not powerless.) to my editor! 

The book-writing journey began for me in August, and throughout the rest of 2024, its direction shifted many times. What I initially thought would be a coaching-style book about sobriety evolved into a memoir - a story-driven, transformative reflection of my personal journey. It follows a chronological path, from the downward spiral of my drinking to the powerful reclamation of self that came through choosing sobriety. What started as a guide became a deeply personal account of healing, growth, and coming back to my personal power.

With clear direction on my book heading into 2025, I focused as intensely as I could on completing it while navigating three life-changing events. Having it submitted to my editor in June 2025 is nothing short of a miracle and a testament of my devotion to the message.

It was only a matter of time before I would write this book. From the very beginning of my sobriety, I felt called to share my journey. Just a few weeks after leaving the treatment center I had checked myself into, I made a decision: I was going to be sober out loud. I wrote a very simple Instagram post, and in many ways, that was the beginning. The beginning of speaking my truth, being seen, and reclaiming my voice.

Writing this book is an extension of that moment. It's an act of service. A continuation of the vow I made in my first year of sobriety when I began my Reiki practice: to be of service in the highest order.

Please enjoy this excerpt from my book BLURRED LINES: My Reclamation of Power from Alcohol Addiction (P.S. You are not powerless). In this chapter, I am receiving a Reiki session from my Reiki Master Alesia when she empowers me to speak my truth and share my sobriety. This excerpt begins partway through the chapter:

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“I had been sober for six weeks. Six weeks of battling triggers and associations, of waking up drenched in sweat or sleepless, of confronting every raw emotion I'd been drowning in alcohol for years. Six weeks of learning to inhabit a body that was discovering how to exist without alcohol while feeling absolutely everything with startling clarity.

As Alesia moved her hands above different areas of my body, it felt like puzzle pieces within me were being discovered, sifted through, rearranged, and reassembled. I could sense the holes and leaks in my energy, the places where my strength had been draining away for years, where I'd poured alcohol to fill the gaps. When the session ended, I sat up slowly, feeling simultaneously exhausted and renewed.

"There's so much you can offer, Lauren, with your sobriety," Alesia said, her eyes holding mine with gentle intensity. "Be willing to know and speak your truth. Let the Reiki guide you. You know what you need to say."

I nodded, but inside, the familiar voice of doubt immediately responded: What if I fail at sobriety? What if I can't maintain it? What if I change my mind and decide to drink again? What if people watch me try and I fall flat on my face? Isn't it safer to keep this secret for now, just in case something goes wrong?

The irony wasn't lost on me - I was contemplating hiding in plain sight during my sobriety the same way I'd hidden in my addiction. The same shame, secrecy, and performance of being okay while struggling inside.

That night, I sat on my bed against the wall with my phone in hand, thumb hovering over the Instagram post I'd written.  Nothing dramatic - just a simple acknowledgment that I was in recovery and grateful for it. I repeated her words in my mind: Be willing to know and speak your truth.

I read over my post one last time:

One month ago I checked myself into a treatment center. I surrendered to my addictions that left me defeated and spiritually depleted. How thankful I am today to know that all my past failures were necessary for me to be where I am now. Growth and gratitude. And the peace of mind that I can live in, be supported in, and share my sobriety. 🤍 #sobriety #addiction #mystory #liveawake #livealive

To accompany the post, I chose two images. One that read: "I just woke up one day and decided I didn't want to feel like that anymore, or ever again, so I changed," and a J.K. Rowling quote: "Rock bottom became the solid foundation upon which I rebuilt my life."

My heart thundered against my ribs with the same intensity I was used to feeling after taking a line of cocaine. I stood on the precipice of a truth that would forever alter how the world saw me, ready to shed my carefully constructed facade. Crossing this threshold wouldn't just change how others perceived me; it would transform how I existed in the world entirely. Was I really about to come out to everyone? Or at least to whoever followed my Instagram? 

I pressed "Post" before I could talk myself out of it.”

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You don't have to be at rock bottom - or even struggling with alcohol - to connect with this book. My hope is that it sparks courage in anyone facing an internal battle, questioning their path, or longing for more. I want you to know: I see you. I understand you. Because I am you.

I've walked the path. I've lived the struggle. I know the pain intimately. But I also know the liberation on the other side. I am living, breathing proof that freedom is possible. This book was written so you never have to feel alone.