ttle bit more.It was intense, though. My god. When you get sober | Forum

Abby Wambach told the world some of her deepest, darkest secrets in her new memoir, Forward. Stitched Penguins Jerseys . The leading international goal scorer revealed the details of her struggle with alcohol and substance abuse.The impetus for being so forthright? Being arrested for driving under the influence following an evening of drinking. She said she hopes her book helps others and gives them the courage to be real with themselves and those around them. When we stand in our truth, she said, people meet us with truth.Wambach opens up about her past, what she has learned, and whats next moving forward.Q: How does it feel to have the book out there?A: It feels really good to have the book out there. Its been a labor of love for the last five months. When I agreed to do this book, the idea of what we were going to do with it was one thing. Then April 2 happened. I got the DUI and it turned into a completely different book. We were kind of scrambling at the end, doing literally last-minute edits. I actually didnt even hold the book until I went to my first book event the other day, which tells you that this really was something I wanted to put out there in a real, honest way. Im really proud of it. I think this is really going to help people. I didnt do this to sell books. I had every opportunity not to do it in this raw, honest way, but Im one of those people who, if I do something, I do it to the fullest.Q: Early in the book, you say this is not a book about soccer. What is this book about for you?A: The book is about my life. I think that I loathe the fact that I was able to play the game so well, on some level, because of the identity I carried around with me. People looked at me as an athlete, a soccer player, for so long. It actually took me until I was in Paris a couple of months ago, running in the streets, and somebody stopping me [to realize] I am a soccer player. Its not who I am, but its a part of who I am. Soccer was what I did. The value I take from this book is that we all are more than what we do. I hope this book shows that being sensitive, being in touch as a deeply feeling person is OK.Q: What do you mean when you say that you hope that this book helps people?A: Whenever we read anything, whether its memoir or fiction, were trying to relate to the subject at hand, or to the plot of the story. Your plot and your story might not have anything to do with mine, but youre going to be able to relate on some level in some way. You might know somebody that has my issues, or you might have a completely different set of issues, but youre processing them in the same way. Thats whats important. When we stand in our truth, people meet us with truth. I believe thats an indirect way to affect positive change in our world, to not be ashamed of who we are as people.Im proud of the accomplishments Ive had. I worked very hard to play soccer for as long as I did. But maybe Im most proud of writing this book. Just yesterday, I was talking to somebody on the phone and trying to give them help. Mind you, Im no professional, but thats whats going to happen. This might take on a life of its own. I can shed light on a really hard part of my life, a dark part of my life, and that will give someone else the courage to stand up and say, Me too. Im struggling and I need help.Q: What was it about the DUI, that moment, that served as a catalyst for you to reveal yourself in this way?A: Well, first of all, my mug shot speaks volumes of how the night felt and the ensuing days after the night. I got crushed in the media for a while, rightfully so, dont get me wrong. I was embarrassed, beyond embarrassed. Part of what makes my friends and family a little bit nervous about revealing so much in this book is that they felt like I was punishing myself for the DUI. The DUI was one of the best things that ever happened to me because of the things that I reveal. The DUI was a byproduct of the other problems I was having, this dark side, the secret life that I was living. The only way that I could really get well was to reveal this secret life, so that I would never make the same mistake that I did in April. And thats a promise that Im willing to keep.Q: You reveal a lot in the book beyond your history with alcohol and substance abuse. How has your family responded to learning about pain that perhaps they were not even privy to before now?A: They were scared for me for a few reasons. They spent a lot of time protecting this secret. Some of them knew the full extent, most of them didnt. The fear, in large part, was because I was in so much pain that I didnt share with them at the time. Im a very private person when it comes to my really deep, deep feelings. That gets exacerbated because of the celebrity I have due to the sport that I played. Whenever somebody is put on a pedestal, I had to keep things as private as possible. My family ... I get it. I get their fear. Its also a big reason why I have kept this stuff quiet for so long. I dont want to disappoint my family and my fans. I know there are going to be people who judge me for this, and thats OK. Im a big girl, literally, and now I feel like a strong enough woman that I can stand up for what I believe in and say what I need for myself.Q: How did it make you feel when you learned that Sydney Leroux thought you might have overdosed and died after she received a vague text that said OMG ... Abby! A: To be honest, it really altered me, it affected me a lot. When youre so stuck inside something, like I was, you dont envision that happening. Its why so many people OD and die. Its why so many people get too drunk and drive. Its why bad things happen. Now I could see that happening. When I read her interview back, I knew that was possible. [Sydney sharing] that fear helped me. It made me more aware of what I needed and of what I wanted. I needed help, and sometimes your best friends are the ones who can be so brutally honest that is actually what allows you to wake up a little bit more.It was intense, though. My god. When you get sober and you start to atone for your sins in certain ways, you need to go apologize for some of the things that have happened. I think about that. I think about the people, like Sydney, who were not just worried about my secret getting out. They were actually worried about my well-being, my health and my life. Im glad that Sydneys fear was just a fear and not a reality.Q: How has sobriety been for you?A: Interesti