by Jeanni Ritchie
While many people love a good underdog story, they often want to see the fallen completely restored. There’s less tolerance for the journey itself.
Holly Strano, meteorologist Cleveland, Ohio’s WKYC, claims she was fired after 22 years when she began openly sharing her sobriety journey. Strano had been involved in a high-profile drunk driving incident nine months prior which resulted in a temporary hiatus from the station, but she had been back on air when she began speaking out about her journey.
“I believe the actions of WKYC and [parent company] Tegna demonstrate the stigma surrounding addiction that so many in our community experience every day,” Strano says.
While there may be other factors in this story the public is not aware of, it certainly tracks with me.
For every person that applauded my out-loud recovery out of mental health and spiritual darkness, there were three who abhorred it. There were those still in darkness who hated the light I began shining in the void and there were those who believed I was discussing things that should remain behind closed doors.
I was shunned by people in the community as well as the church. I was disinvited from parties as well as service opportunities for Christ. Being honest came with consequences.
Sometimes people would rather you suffer in silence than recover out loud.
But it is precisely the silence where Satan gains ground. Until we break stigmas and normalize conversations about our struggles, we are destined to continue fighting the same battles that rob us of life.
I applaud Strano for sharing her sobriety journey with others. She’s using her platform to help others, consequences be damned.
I intend to continue doing the same.
Jeanni Ritchie openly shares her daily journey through her blog, www.faithunfaded.com, and TikTok channel, tiktok.com/@jeanniritchie.
