14/12/2025
The reality of RSD and how devasting it can be.
I attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
With permission, I would like to share a story a fellow alcoholic shared in a meeting recently:
She said, "My name is Bethany and I’m an alcoholic. I had been sober for six years but I relapsed last week.
It was a Friday. I was at work. It was nearly 5pm. I was ready to clock off for the weekend. My email pinged. It was from my boss. It read, ‘Hi Bethany, can you come and see me on Monday morning. Have a lovely weekend.’.
That’s all it said. My chest instantly filled with dread.
‘I’m useless and now they know’.
‘What have I done wrong?’
‘I’m going to get fired’
‘Everyone hates me’
My mind was racing with catastrophic thoughts. I was crying all the way home. It felt like my world was about to end.
I didn’t care about my sobriety anymore. I picked up two bottles of wine on the way home. It felt like an easy solution to this extreme emotional pain.
I woke up the next day filled with shame. The anxiety was all consuming. I didn’t sleep Sunday night.
I went to work Monday morning. I walked into my boss’s office. I was shaking. I sat down.
He said, ‘Hi Bethany, I have some good new for you. I want to offer you a promotion’.
I looked shocked, burst into tears and said ‘Are you sure?!’
He said, ‘Yes’.
I said, ‘Thank you so much!”
This story has a happy ending but it’s an important reminder of how, in the absence of clarity and context, Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria will cause you assume the worst case scenario. The downward spirals are fast and brutal; they can derail someone to the point where they will have a drink after 6 years of sobriety.
I can’t wait for Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria to be a recognised diagnosis. It’s very real…
… and it’s VERY debilitating 💚
