Mar 6
Reviews
A common story. A rare twist... "Blackout Girl" brings us one step closer to forgiving ourselves for something we didn't do.
— Melody Beattie, author of "Codependent No More," "The Grief Club," and more.Witty, moving, sometimes terrifying, and always poignant, Ms. Storm's memoir is told in glinting chapters that eerily reflect the blackouts that so frequented her adolescence.
— Christopher Brown
Jan 20
Leave the Light On: A Memoir of Recovery and Self-Discovery
Claudia Black, Ph.D.
Author, It Will Never Happen To Me
Addiction? It’s even worse than you can imagine—especially for one “hooked” in her early teens. Jennifer Storm is that girl and Leave the Light On: A Memoir of Recovery and Self-Discovery is her story. (Central Recovery Press / Paperback $14.95/ April 2010). Ms. Storm’s first book, Blackout Girl (published by Hazelden), is the story of her fractured childhood as she descended into the dark solace that alcohol and other drugs provided. Leave the Light On continues her saga through recovery and the self-discovery that followed.
Nov 3
My 1st Magazine Cover!!!
It is an honor to have been chosen after a nationwide search as the Fall Cover Girl for We Magaziine for Women!
Sep 26
Article on E! Online about Mackenzie Phillips
Mackenzie Phillips Is Not Oversharing!
Ron Galella/Getty ImagesIck, ick, ick.
We don’t want to read Mackenzie Phillips‘ account of her “consensual” relationship with Papa John Phillips. We don’t want to see Oprah Winfrey devote airtime to the alleged rape, abortion, drugs and unsettling etc. We don’t want to relive the whole sordid story in People.
We don’t want to hear it. Any of it.
And that might be the ickiest thing of all.
Understand, the ick factor we’re feeling is not about whether the former sitcom star is lying, although some, including stepmother Michelle Phillips, think she is; the ick factor is about the subject matter.
Incest.
Jennifer Storm works with assault survivors as executive director of the Victim/Witness Assistance Program in Harrisburg, Pa. She tells us incest-related abuse cases that go to trial—cases that have been vetted and endorsed by authorities higher than Oprah—are among the hardest for prosecutors to win.
“Juries do not want to believe the victim because they cannot fathom doing that to their own child,” Storm says. “We see so many not-guilty verdicts because the average brain cannot comprehend a parent abusing that privilege.”
So, not only do we not want to hear it, in some way, we can’t hear it. When Phillips talks, we get nothing but static—and a vague feeling that the signal would be better if only she’d kept her story to herself, her therapist or even, most cynically, her own imagination.
But whoever said this was about us?
“It’s important for the survivors that they break the silence,” says Storm. “It’s not so much for the catharsis; it’s putting a voice on it. It really helps normalize that these really horrible things are happening.”
And, no, if it hasn’t been made clear already, Storm is not a Phillips doubter. Maybe because her life story, like Phillips’, involves drugs and sexual assault (although not incest). Maybe because her story, like Phillips’, was told in a memoir, Blackout Girl. Maybe because her story, like Phillips’, was deigned by some as being too much.
As in, too much information.
“I’ve had people tell that to me. [And I’m] a noncelebrity,” Storm says. “Most people wouldn’t put that kind of spotlight on themselves because it’s not an enjoyable thing. It’s probably one of the most vilifying places to be.”
Oddly, Wednesday’s Oprah didn’t look like a much better place for Phillips to be. Through much of the interview, Winfrey was clinical and exacting, rather than comforting and empathetic. Was this the performance of a woman with a long memory of James Frey, a woman who didn’t want to risk appearing to be sold on Phillips?
Or was this something else? Like the careful approach of an incest survivor herself who sensed we didn’t need to be sold on Phillips as much as we needed to be walked through the actress’ story, page by page, so that maybe we’d understand.
Understand that where some subject matters are concerned, there can never be too much information.
(Originally published Sept. 25, 2009, at 5 a.m. PT)
Aug 30
DJ Am and Recovery
I cannot help but find myself at such a loss after hearing of the death of one of our own. DJ AM aka Adam Goldstein, was found dead in his NYC apartment. Allegedly, there were prescription drugs and a crack pipe found in his possession. Adam had been admittedly clean and sober since 1997 after a suicide attempt. He had 11 ½ years of recovery and was working on a show with MTV helping other addicts find recovery. I marvel at the similarities between our stories. I too found recovery in 1997 after a brutal suicide attempt, I too sit with 11 ½ years of recovery. Read On
Aug 7
You can’t cry over lost eye lashes?
Oh how my life entertains me sometimes. I haven’t slept well over the past couple days as I was house/dog sitting for a dear friend. Apparently both of her labs are use to sleeping in bed with her—a custom I am not really fond of as I have serious no touching boundaries when sleeping. So I got very little sleep for the past three days. By yesterday, I had Red Bull for breakfast in an attempt to make it thru the day and was just utterly exhausted!
My goal was to go home and hit my own bed finally for some much needed sleep, until I got a call from a reporter who wanted me to come do a quick interview on the budget. Of course I said yes and hung up the phone. I looked like a hot mess—hair was all undone, my makeup was worn off from the day. I had about an hour to get home, eat and hit the studio. Needless to say, I was rushing like a mad woman. I was starving and quickly ate a frozen vegan meal and then ran upstairs to freshen up my hair and make-up. I had about ten minutes to get to the studio. I grabbed my metal eye lash curler…the great go-to refresher for eyes. I was trying to make it look like I wasn’t as half-dead and asleep as I felt. As I applied the lash curler to my right eye and squeezed down, a hair or some foreign substance fell into my left eye—it hurt and I had an involuntary reaction. My right hand quickly moved to the left eye in an attempt to rid my eye of said substance. When this happened…the eye lash curler ripped off my eye lid taking with it all but two of my eye lashes! I just sat and starred in the mirror in shock for a couple seconds until the pain surfaced and my poor naked right eye began to throb. It got all red and puffy.
Oh my god! I thought. I have no eye lashes. Oh my god.
In this moment….I really had only two options, have a complete and utter emotional breakdown or laugh my ass off. I choose the later. I mean seriously, what else can you do?! After the laughing fit concluded; I quickly cancelled the interview, slapped on my best big black sunglasses and drove to my closest Rite Aid where I inspected and purchased several brands of fake lashes. I am now attempting to learn how to put these damn things on.
I took a mental health day, because, seriously if I ever need one in my life-today is the day. I have been scouring the internet to find out a.) how to apply false lashes to no lashes and b.) If they will grow back and how long that takes. Thankfully, eye lashes grow back—in about 2-3 weeks. I also found I wasn’t alone. I love the internet because no matter what you’re looking for, you can always find a community out there to help make you feel just a little bit less stupid! I plan to take a ton of prenatal vitamins and Vitamin B to accelerate this process. In the meantime I am trying to not look like a Drag Queen version of Lady Gaga.
Life on life’s terms sometimes can be quite comical.
Jul 27
Penn State named nation’s top party school in Princeton Review survey
I got clean and sober at Penn State. I went to college there in early recovery and stayed clean and sober for my entire four year stay there. Sure there were times when it was hard, but my recovery was what enabled me to go there in the first place and become the first person in my family ever to graduate from college.
I didn’t have a boring experience, in fact, I had a blast at Penn State and I never picked up a drink or drug.
It is possible to attend a university with a party reputation and stay clean and sober. I created an environment for myself which enabled me to do so.
I avoided people, places and things.
I didn’t tailgate.
I didn’t hang out down town on Friday or Saturday nights when I knew the bar scene was huge.
I went to parties, becuase I was young, but I always made sure I went with people who knew I was sober.
I brought my own bottle of water and held onto it all night, if I did go out.
I was the president of my sorority.
I was actively involved in tons of organizations on campus and joined many groups.
I was accepted as a recovering person.
I started recovery twelve step meetings on campus at noon.
Both my books, Blackout Girl: Growing Up and Drying Out in America and my new book, Leave the Light On: A Memory of Recovery and Self-Discovery–talk about my experiences of being young and sober.
So here’s to you Princeton Review for enabling me to beat yet another odd–attending the #1 Party School in America and never picking up a drink or drug!
Jennifer Storm's hard-hitting, coming-of-age story, told in unflinching detail, is equal parts Girl Interrupted, Go Ask Alice, and Prozac Nation. 
Coming this spring: my second memoir, Leave the Light On: A Memoir of Recovery and Self-Discovery.