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In my opinion, conferences like Perugia and IRE are some of the best experiences this job has to offer. Journalism can be lonely work, so the few chances we get to connect with like-minded people from all over the world can make the difference between staying in the fight or calling it quits. But if you’re in recovery, these events can feel isolating in a whole other way.
Journalists like to drink. We like drinking after our deadlines. We like sharing drinks with our sources. And when we get together … boy, do we love to drink.
I know a few journalists who had their last drink at a conference. As someone who likes working a room, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel the urge to drink on this trip.
Returning to these spaces sober is scarier than most realize.
I still remember how terrified I was when I landed in Greece for the 2023 Thessaloniki International Media Summer Academy.
I was barely a month sober, ducking into bars and using Google Translate to ask bartenders not to let anyone know I was drinking nonalcoholic beer.
But secrets don’t last long in a room full of journalists. By the end, everyone knew why I wasn’t drinking.
To my utter shock: nobody cared!
That’s why TISAM and Perugia mean so much to me, not just for my career, but for my sobriety too. I’d hate for anyone to miss out on experiences like these.
That’s where we come in. Over the past two years, the JRN has been expanding our presence at conferences to remind people they’re not alone. We’re hoping to be at the Canadian Association of Journalists’ conference in June, and at IRE26 later that month.
From the folks I’ve met in A.A. who actually planned their relapses into their travel itineraries, I know this news will bring some relief to those reading this.
Solo travel is daunting enough without adding the headache that comes with navigating a new country’s drinking culture while in recovery. (I didn’t expect finding nonalcoholic beer to be so hard in Italy.)
But there’s a flip side to this coin. Every country has its own drinking culture, but they also have support groups for people like us.
And just as our newsrooms are making space for those of us in recovery, so too are they making space for journalists from different faiths, cultures, and backgrounds. Not drinking at a conference doesn’t mark you as an alcoholic the way it might have years ago.
If there’s one thing I hope you remember before your next adventure, it’s this: You’re never really alone, no matter where you go.
For anyone seeking support with substance abuse, please reach out to the Journalists Recovery Network anytime. Click here for additional resources.
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