Sarah Levy

Los Angeles, New York

Author of DRINKING GAMES (@stmartinspress) available now! Essays in The New York Times, The Cut, Vogue, and others. More fun on IG.

Articles

On "good enough" writing

3 weeks ago | sarahllevy.substack.com | Sarah Levy

In January, our city burned. An evacuation warning was issued in our neighborhood, the invisible parameter ending a few blocks north of our home. Adam packed — our marriage license, my grandparents’ photo albums — while I bathed Leo in the next room. The Palisades and Eaton fires had decimated nearby communities one day earlier, and destruction seemed both entirely possible and unimaginable. I looked around our house, wondering if this new blaze — the Sunset Fire — would engulf it, too.
Differentiating Cognitive Decline in Multiple Sclerosis and Alzheimer Disease: Sarah Levy, PhD

1 month ago | neurologylive.com | Sarah Levy |Isabella Ciccone

WATCH TIME: 5 minutes"Orientation seems to be a key differentiator in the cognitive profile between [patients with multiple sclerosis and patients with Alzheimer disease]."Cognitive impairment is a common concern among older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS), often affecting quality of life and independence. However, distinguishing whether cognitive decline is because of MS or other conditions, such as Alzheimer disease (AD), remains challenging.
Can You Trust AI To Be Your Data Analyst?

1 month ago | thenewstack.io | Sarah Levy

The good news is that deploying AI agents and connecting them to your data is easier than ever. But that alone won’t make AI agents effective for data-driven decision-making. Models like DeepSeek — or any other large LLM — can’t generate meaningful insights if the underlying data is inconsistent. It’s the classic garbage in, garbage out problem. And in most companies, there’s an elephant in the room: organizations often have multiple versions of the same metric, each calculated differently.
The Influence of Socioeconomic Status and Diet on Multiple Sclerosis Outcomes: Sarah Levy, PhD

1 month ago | neurologylive.com | Sarah Levy |Isabella Ciccone

WATCH TIME: 2 minutes“We found that socioeconomic status is a really important factor that clinicians should be aware of in terms of understanding outcomes in their patients with MS.
Validation of a Six-Item Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale Short Form (MSIS-SF) for Efficient Assessment of Patient-Reported Physical Disturbance

2 months ago | medrxiv.org | James F Sumowski |Sarah Levy

The authors have declared no competing interest. This project was funded in part by the National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH; R01 HD082176 to JFS). I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.
Not drinking this month

Dec 12, 2024 | sarahllevy.substack.com | Sarah Levy

When I first got sober, I heard people in recovery meetings describe the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve as the Bermuda Triangle. The real Bermuda Triangle is a region in the North Atlantic Ocean where ships, planes, and people have mysteriously disappeared. In sobriety, the Bermuda Triangle is a slew of holiday parties and family dinners with copious amounts of wine and eggnog and endless opportunities to drink and disappear from recovery rooms.
13 thoughts for 13 months of motherhood

Oct 30, 2024 | sarahllevy.substack.com | Sarah Levy

The first thing that surprises me is the bleeding. The doctor tells me it's normal which is why it strikes me as strange that no one warned me. There was talk of pads and ice packs, but as I lie in my hospital bed in the hours after giving birth, I wonder why no one spelled it out: You are going to deliver a baby, and then also the placenta, which will …Keep reading with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to SELTZER ROCKS to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
Sober October, sorted

Oct 4, 2024 | audible.com | Augusten Burroughs |Laura McKowen |Sarah Hepola |Sarah Levy

When I quit drinking almost six years ago, the alcohol-free landscape was pretty ... dry. Life without booze felt like an ascetic feat of abstinence and 12-step programs, not a cool lifestyle option. Instead of shops and bars overflowing with artisanal elixirs, eight kinds of hop water, and mock mezcal, there were a few dusty bottles of syrupy fake wine on the lowest shelf in the liquor store and, if you were lucky, a lone nonalcoholic beer on tap. Book publishing followed a similar trajectory.
Seven years sober

Sep 10, 2024 | sarahllevy.substack.com | Sarah Levy

Hi! This time of year always feels supercharged to me. Fall is right around the corner (don’t mind the 101 degree heat wave in LA, nothing to see here) and everyone is buzzing with new energy. My whole life, September has always felt special — like “my” month — and not just because of my birthday (even though it is on the 12th, if anyone wants to mark their calendar!). SELTZER ROCKS is a reader-supported publication.
This year's back-to-school fashion vibe? All things Western-ified

Sep 4, 2024 | girlslife.com | Sarah Levy

Back-to-school fashion is all about unbridled enthusiasm (get it?) for all things Western-ified. Embroidered boots, fringe on everything, Stetsons, heck, even a bolo tie: The vibe is Yellowstone, babes, and it's good. Balance the look with sweet florals, pretty tulle or touches of glam for a look that's more hoco than horse care, OK? Ride 'em, cowgirl. Horse Girl AestheticDress, $225, House of CB London. Bodysuit, $20, Forever 21. Boots, $220, Corral Boots. Earrings, $20, Berricle. Bolo, $28, Staghound.