Chebet Ronoh opens up on addiction to always doing too much for others
By Paulette Mboga, September 1, 2026Chebet Ronoh has opened up about her struggle with always doing too much for other people, saying she realised she had an addiction to “overfunctioning” in her relationships.
She said this included paying bills, arranging spaces and being kind to abusive people just to remain connected. Ronoh also revealed that she took a break from people, alcohol, sex and dating.
“It also dawned on me, I had an addiction to overfunctioning with people, always sorting the bill, curating the space, being nice to abusive people to stay connected,” Chebet Ronoh wrote on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.
Ronoh explained that she decided to step away from the things and people she had been using for temporary relief. She said the decision was important because she wanted to understand herself outside the process of recovering from someone or something.
She also wanted to face deep wounds without relying on temporary ways of feeling better.
“I went cold turkey on people, alcohol, sex and dating,” Chebet Ronoh said.
Ronoh takes time to face herself
Ronoh said she needed to know who she was when she was not recovering from something or someone. She explained that she wanted to understand herself without using temporary relief to soothe deep wounds. The process, she said, also brought up a lot of grief that she had to face.
“I needed to know who I am when I’m not recovering from something or someone or soothing deep wounds with temporary relief,” Chebet Ronoh said.
She also revealed that she had been away from social media for some time as she dealt with what she described as years of self-abandonment. Ronoh said she had not expected that process to catch up with her, but she is now slowly returning at her own pace. She explained that taking the time away allowed her to deal with the emotions that came up.
“And a lot of grief came up, haven’t been online for a minute. Purging years of self-abandonment was something I never thought would catch up to me, but I’m returning slowly at my pace,” Chebet Ronoh said.
Ronoh also pointed out sobriety and described it as a major step for anyone who chooses to stop relying on their biggest escape. She said getting sober requires a person to look at what they have been using to escape and decide that they no longer need it.