R’s confessions are a blessing and a curse

In a sense, when R relapsed recently, so did I. I started to forget myself and the family – now I am becoming increasingly distant

Will R and I ever enjoy a party again?

As we chat, I realise how enjoyable the beer is. With each sip, I feel better, looser, less self-conscious. I am very much aware right now of how hard it must be for R

37 thoughts on turning 37

Sophie Heawood: Not a landmark birthday, it's true, but a good enough time to take stock of one's life so far …

Can we trust R after so many years of drink-fuelled lies?

Can we trust R after so many years of drink-fuelled lies?

It’s hard to be sick when you’re single

Ruth Pitt was successful and single with a grownup family. But when serious illness struck, she struggled to cope without the support of a 'significant other'

R is drinking again

My husband is away on a climbing break ... Actually, it turns out he's been holed up by himself in a pub for hours, getting drunk

Genital herpes is putting a dampener on our marriage

No sooner are we free of herpes than one of us infects the other and we have to abstain from sex until it clears up

I’m beginning to waver on the sex ban

I said no sex to my husband until he goes back to his AA meetings. It feels ridiculous, but what will it mean if I break it?

I want to have an orgasm before I die

I am currently undergoing chemotherapy and was circumcised as a child. Can you advise me?

At a family support meeting, I spot a man I find attractive

I start to think all sorts of inappropriate things about the man who looks like a young Jeff Bridges. What would he look like naked?