The Most Important Piece I’ve Ever Written | Only Once

A story of the role of friendship in crisis

I want to share my favourite thing I’ve ever written. It’s a story about an unlikely friendship that brought laughter and love into my life during the three months I spent in rehab.

You’ll notice this essay is for paid subscribers only, so I wanted to explain where that subscription goes, if you’re thinking of joining.

A paid subscription supports stories that deserve to be told. If this work resonates with you, subscribing helps me keep going. It funds:

• Writing and reporting on addiction, mental illness, and the systems that shape us

• The slow work of a novel about institutions, eugenics, and the aftershocks of state control—set in a rehab that used to be a psychopaedic hospital

• Developing courses that use writing as a tool for mental health

Here’s what you get in return:

• Bonus Q&As

• Behind-the-scenes content

• More vulnerable, intimate essays

If that sounds like something worth supporting, I’d be deeply grateful.