The six-headed beast sits perched on her rock, Scylla. Across from her, the twin disaster, swirling, the…
Welcome to Coming Out Sober! I’m Tamar Medford, your guide through the wild ride of sobriety and self-discovery My mission is to create a safe, supportive space for those navigating sobriety and LGBTQ+ identities. I aim to inspire others by sharing my story and exploring the unique challenges we face. Together, we’ll break down barriers, challenge rigid beliefs, and celebrate living authentically. Whether it’s through personal anecdotes or reflections on societal norms, I hope to foster a community where everyone feels seen, heard, and loved.
Here, you’ll find stories from me and others about living sober and out loud. Let’s dive into the hilarious, heartbreaking, and everything in-between moments of breaking free from booze and societal norms.
Sober Curator Fun Fact!
A handful of Sober Curator Contributors identify as being in the LBGTQIA+ community. With this new Coming Out Sober! column, you will hear from multiple voices and perspectives from our Sober Curator Contributor community.
Help is Available
If you or someone you love is living with substance use, alcohol misuse, a co-occurring, or a behavioral health disorder there is hope.
Review our LGBTQ+ Resource Guide for resources specific to members of the community. On this road to recovery, no one is alone. We all in this together.
For support outside of the US, a worldwide directory of resources and international hotlines is provided by the International Association for Suicide Prevention. You can also turn to Befrienders Worldwide.
Coming Out Sober Contibutors
Tamar is on a mission to empower women to step out of their comfort zone, and create a life so extraordinary that the mere thought of returning to their old ways becomes unimaginable. Through her life experiences, Tamar inspires personal growth, helping clients tap into their inner bliss, rewrite their stories, and forge a path to a life of boundless possibilities.
After experiencing complacency in her sixth year of sobriety, Tamar set out on a journey to discover her purpose. She refused to settle for an ordinary and unfulfilled life. As a result of continuing to build her foundation in recovery and living a purpose-driven life, she had enhanced her life.
Tamar Medford is a passionate advocate for empowering women to create lives they genuinely love. Through her transformative neuro-change journey, Tamar guides her clients to find their unique path.
Alexandra is a fierce recovery advocate who serves as a volunteer for NAMI NYC (the National Alliance on Mental Illnesses), and uses her platform to break the stigma associated with being a person in recovery. She is also a member of the Parity Coalition through the Legal Action Network, the co-chair for NAMI’s Co-Occurring Illnesses Subcommittee, and a member of the TYSA Coalition. She is a CARC (certified addiction recovery coach), CRPA (certified recovery peer advocate), and a SRCD (She Recovers Coach).
Alexandra is the founder of the Break Free Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for those living with mental health, substance use, and co-occurring disorders. Break Free offers scholarships for individuals suffering from substance use disorders to attend a treatment facility free of charge. Break Free is best known for their recovery on the runway fundraiser which has models and designers in recovery bring a message of hope and recovery to NYFW (New York Fashion Week)
Her work has been featured in Forbes, Out Magazine, No Kill Magazine, WWD, Business Insider, Yahoo, The Sober Curator, Brides, Green Wedding Shoes, The New York Times, VFiles, and at Six Flags. In addition to her work with the Break Free Foundation, she is a well-known cat lover, a fashion designer, and a strong supporter of the arts. She currently serves as The Sober Curator’s Publisher and her cat, Eve Arya Barbera III, serves as one of the publication’s mascots.
Daniel G Garza is an Actor/Comic/Host/Patient Leader/Energy Working and has lived a life of Recovery since June 21, 2007. He went through rehab in Dickinson, Texas at Bay Area Recovery Center. He is the co-owner of, with his partner Christian, Lilmesican Productions Inc – A Social Enterprise. They produce and host live stream shows, participate in advisory boards for cancer research, and host intuitive and mediumship events.
Finn, a sober tax attorney by day and a Codependency Recovery YouTube channel co-host at night.
Finn’s first suicide attempt was before age ten because he was “raised” by “wolves.” He discovered achievement as a way to manage and survive trauma/abuse. This resulted in numerous degrees and, eventually, becoming a tax attorney. Numbers, we can control.
He got sober in 2016, precipitating the transition from his identity with achievement to a new attachment and dedication to live a joyous, connected life.
In 2020, Finn met Dr. Sarah Michaud in a twelve-step Zoom meeting. They decided to create an online codependency recovery group focused on solutions, empowering relationships, and finding freedom from repetitive patterns of connection. It was during the co-hosting of this group that Finn could accept that he was transgender. Ironically the name of the group was Coming Home to Ourselves. Finn’s transition has led to many comical and not-so-comical growth opportunities. Despite the challenges, he is finally home in his body and the world.
Finn and Sarah launched their YouTube channel, Leaving CrazyTown, in the fall of 2022 as a way to reach a larger audience and support people in healing from codependency and addiction while experiencing joy, laughter, self-compassion and the journey home to who you were always meant to be.
Mark Nyman is a Graduate Student pursuing his Master’s degree in English Literature at West Chester University, hoping to continue on to pursue a PhD. He recently became sober as of March 16th, 2024 and is beginning the journey. He’s a fiction and nonfiction writer who focuses on themes of death, Christianity, sexuality, recovery, memory, and daily life.
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