What is "Sober Sally"?
Before I actually quit drinking, I e-mailed the author
of a sobriety blog written by a woman who used the pen
name “B.” In desperation, I shared my concerns and inse-
curities with B. I bared my soul to a complete stranger.
Only she wasn’t a complete stranger. Within hours of hitting “Send,” I checked my e-mail and found a short
and sweet reply. “Babe, before I respond to everything you
shared, I have to be honest. It’s me, Clare. I am also B.” The
Internet had worked its magic—twice—to make sure we
crossed paths, and we’d been friends ever since. She was
my Sober Sally, and I hers. Clare’s love and support was as
fierce as her red hair. She always reminded me she was a
“ride or die” friend. That she would stand by me through
anything. And she did. But we didn’t actually meet face-
to-face for the first time until two years later, on the night
before her wedding day in October 2014.