Addiction is not something to be ashamed of, as it is a mental health issue. The fact that your sobriety resulted in weight gain is a testament to your strength.

The idea that our world has imbued upon you such deep, internalized fatphobia that you won’t reconnect with your high school friend because you aren’t thin just breaks my heart and makes me angry — for you, for your friend.

Please don’t let your body size be why you won’t try to reconnect with her. It may be too late; there’s no getting around that reality. But not trying? That’s just heartbreaking.

Life is too short. A friend of mine from high school just died suddenly in her sleep at the age of 44. Don’t waste time waiting to be something — someone — else. Your size does not determine your worth.