**Trigger warning: this story contains some pretty intense dialogue about a personal injury, so if you're extremely squeamish you may not want to read that part. Honestly, it's not that bad, but I like to warn the sensitive.
Taking a break from the Retrospective Series of posts to commemorate 4 years of being alcohol free today!!!!
2018 also marks 16 years since I gave up the drugs! I don't share too much personal stuff on my artistry page, but I'm sharing this part about myself because I feel transparency about things like addiction and trauma is important. It's a way to help others by showing that anyone can get clean/sober if they truly want it and are willing to do the work.
Last year I spoke about surviving a drug overdose many years ago. This year I'm going to share a pretty gnarly story that happened while I was drunk, and the reason I finally decided it was time to quit drinking. Check the right ring finger. Notice something? Yep, my fingertip is missing! Even people that know me IRL have never noticed it. In a freak accident a few years ago my hand was crushed, resulting in the finger tip being completely smashed. The middle finger tip was also caught, resulting in micro fractures to the tip of the bone and the nail being torn off, but surviving the accident and fully healing. Think about this. I'm right hand dominant. And without the thumb, index and middle fingers, it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to hold a makeup brush and be able to fully do what I do. I barely survived a freak accident that could have taken away something that I enjoy doing immensely and eke out a living at. Talk about lucky and a wake up call! Yet I continued to drink for a while, not ready to face why I was an alcoholic. Or formerly a drug addict. Finally my day of reckoning came, and it came in the form of a very handsome and sober tattoo artist. I wanted to honor my father who passed away in 2004 with a tattoo and was referred to
@john.criscitello.studio by a friend. I showed up to my appointment, hung over as usual. As we got to know each other I learned that he was clean and sober for many years. He said something that hit me like a runaway train..cont'd.
