Blood Is Thicker Than Alcohol: Book launch with Tracey Ford

The Writers Workshop is pleased to support longtime member Tracey Ford for the launch of her memoir, Blood Is Thicker Than Alcohol, at Sheffield Cathedral on Thursday September 25 (get your ticket here!). Please join us there to celebrate her achievement and hear more about her powerful journey through addiction. We asked Tracey about her writing journey and how writing has been a recovery tool.

When did you first start writing?

Writing (specifically journaling) all traces back to my dad. He wasn’t ya typical father figure; he much preferred being with his mates in the pub than his family. But I had my own personal issues growing up. I was every parent’s worst nightmare then because, a parent myself at 17, I was in a coercive relationship and turned to drugs as comfort. The biggest turning point in my life came after being sectioned with drug induced psychosis. That was the wake up call I needed, I went back to college, then volunteering, before being employed in the field of addiction. 

We reconnected unexpectedly while I was working with families affected by addiction. Unbeknown to me, Dad was battling his own demon: alcohol. Caring for him became emotionally complex, and journaling became my lifeline. It was the only way I could pour out thoughts and feelings without burdening others, but it also helped me process my own personal issues.

What's your book about? 

The story flips between the past and present. The past is where I talk about what it was like growing up and how my early years influenced my life choices as a young woman and the complex relationship I had with my dad. The present story tells how our relationship changed again because of his addiction, which unexpectedly brought us closer.

It was after Dad passed away that it went from a journal to a book idea. All I had of his were the ‘Deirdre Barlow’ reading glasses he’d acquired during one of his hospital stays, and also his wallet that contained a receipt for some non-alcoholic beers — a testament to his many failed attempts of sobriety. What began as a coping strategy as a journal became a desire to turn it into something meaningful, like an itch that wouldn’t go away. This book has become the ointment for that itch.

You work in the recovery field. How has that affected your writing of the book?

I have been working in the addiction field now for nearly 30 years, elevating the voices of people with lived experience to help influence the systems that are meant to support them. Before I began my memoir, I had no idea how transformative telling my own story would be. Writing didn’t just help me process my journey—it helped me own it, because there’s a difference between simply finding your voice and truly claiming it. Writing has brought my confidence to the surface and helped me explore (at my own pace) some of the unresolved parts of my unconscious, the parts of myself that have unwittingly held me back from being my true, authentic self. 

What's the journey of writing the book been like for you? 

I feel like I have been in therapy for the past 6 years, lol! Writing unlocked doors within me that I never knew existed. It became more than an act of reflection, a way of reclaiming who I truly was. Through words, I discovered that I wasn’t just the sum of my past or the labels imposed upon me; I was so much more.

It has been a deeply therapeutic endeavour, that has helped me confront past trauma, to sit with it, understand it, learn from it, and transform it into something constructive and lasting, otherwise known as Post Traumatic Growth.

What's your hope for the book? 

I’m not sure, I don’t see myself as being particularly special, in fact my own lived experience with addiction is mild in comparison to some other people’s experiences, but addiction and trauma isn’t a competition. 

I would love to think that readers will learn that addiction isn’t a moral failing, because addiction is a social issue not an individual issue. No one sets out in life aspiring to become an addict! It can happen to anyone, because drugs don’t discriminate. And just because people use drugs and alcohol to block the world out, doesn’t mean that they don’t care or love like everyone else — it sometime means that they don’t know how to. 

Do you have any advice for people who might be affected by the issues your book deals with?

This is going to sound cliché, but talk to someone, reach out for support, because it IS out there. Likewise (www.likewisesheffield.org.uk) is Sheffield’s treatment service, and it’s incredible. Best of all, you don’t need a referral, just the courage to make the first step.

Then there is the Recovery Community (www.sheffieldrecoverydirectory.co.uk). Sheffield has one of the UK’s most thriving recovery communities, and there are loads of face-to-face peer-led support groups, social activities, events where people will welcome and support you with open arms because they ‘get it too’. And that includes the families and friends of the person with addiction, too, which is important because I often see them running about trying to fix their loved one whilst failing to recognise their own support needs. 

What's next for you as a writer?

Like I have said, I never set out to become a writer, but writing is now part of who I am. When I write, I am basically I’m ‘having a word with myself’, and I do this every morning before the world starts waking up and all life’s demands, pressures, and expectations begin. 

I now realise there’s a difference between writing for others and writing for yourself. Making time to journal isn’t just about writing, it’s also about showing up for yourself and making yourself a priority. I recently piloted some women-only workshops, which created a safe space to explore the power and personal benefits of making time to ‘have a word with yourself’, and I would love to do more so that those women can write their stories. Then there is my work, I will never stop championing the voices of those who often go unheard, and I want to continue to use my writing to elevate their stories.