It’s easy to joke that the acute stresses of 2020 are enough to drive anyone to drink.
But that would be a dangerous option for Shannon Urban. In addition to being an executive and a divorced mother of a 9-year-old daughter, she is also a recovering alcoholic.
The frustrations of home schooling her daughter while keeping up with her job as an associate dean in marketing at the University of Pennsylvania, and dealing with the pandemic have been stressful enough. But trying to do it all while staying sober has been a herculean task.
“Third grade math is too much for me. That was my crying this week,” said Urban, who recently moved in with her fiancé.
Urban says her addiction stemmed from low self-esteem and a desire to mute the pain of always feeling like she was “a piece of trash.”
Drinking used to be Shannon Urban’s way to relieve persistent feelings of inadequacy and anxiety. Now she’s intentional about finding healthier outlets to combat those feelings.