Stories of Sobriety: Success Stories of the Year

I did get sober and my life did get better because it was so low and dark. What it looks like for me is that I now have tools to be a normal, decent human being, which I wasn’t before. So sobriety for me is like a bridge back to a normal life. Caring less about yourself and caring more about helping others. Having some small impact on someone else’s life.

The beer and wine probably cost her upwards of $100 when she bought it. But she’s glad it’s gone, and she hopes it’ll help her stay sober for another day. She tried to escape her issues by binge drinking at the local bar every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday night just like she used to in college. But all that did was make it harder for her https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/you-are-not-powerless-over-alcohol-and-heres-why/ to find the energy to get a job and start paying down her student loan debt. For many, addiction awareness comes all too late, which can leave people to be faced with the spiral of alcohol addiction and the uphill struggle of rehabilitation that follows. This was the case with Barry, who was a patient at the Priory Hospital in Glasgow.

Refusing to Allow a Relapse to End the Journey

It’s been very centering and very sobering — that’s the best word I can use. I can share my experience as much as I want, but it’s not normalized. And I think that’s what putting something out in the media does. It puts it into the public eye and passes a value judgment on it and says this is good or this is not good. And most recovery stories are through the lens of rehab, where you might not get to see the beautiful life that you find in sobriety. And the fact of the matter is that now I don’t have the option to run away or not pay attention to something that’s bothering me.

• However, when I hear the stories of other alcoholics, it’s almost like magic how much my mood and hopefulness can improve.
• Following his third DUI, John checked himself into a rehab center.
• If you feel you have a problem with drink or drugs and that the time is ripe to follow in the footsteps of these stories of sobriety, you don’t need to make the journey alone.

It was the catalyst that led me to surrender. There were numerous instances where friends tried to talk to me about the way I drank and how often I did it. My parents also expressed concerns, and even one of my professors made the comment that I seemed different than I’d been the previous semester. The effects of alcohol were slowly seeping into all my relationships and all aspects of my life, and truthfully, I just didn’t care. As long as I could keep drinking, I was content. Prior to getting sober, I was kind of just lost.

Appreciate that small steps amount to incredible progress:

Before I knew it, I was planning my life around drinking. I lived for the weekends, when I knew I had a few days to drink with my friends and have it be acceptable. I looked forward to Fridays and Saturdays all week, as I considered those the days I was “allowed” to drink.

• During residency, we had the first of four children.
• When I awoke, the first thing I saw was both my parents in the room.
• There is a human face behind every example, and there is real hope that addiction recovery can change your life.
• 14-minute video clip from Melissa Byers about addiction, harm reduction, and recovery.
• When we were first dating she would have to be back home by the time the street lights came on.
• I again excelled in school, graduating with a 4.0 GPA and several individual honors.
• I have to be present and I have to self-reflect and commit to being a better person for the people around me.

“At 38, I had what looked like an enviable life. I worked at a prestigious law firm in New York City, lived in a great apartment, and had a tight set of family and friends. But I also had an awful secret—an alcohol and cocaine addiction that had worsened to the point of drinking and using around the clock.

Mark says he was an alcoholic from his first drink and that one was too many and a thousand was never enough.

When the bar closed, friends tried to get me to go home with them but I refused, insisting on walking home myself. I must have gotten turned around somehow, because the police found me passed out on the sidewalk nowhere near my apartment. Upon realizing I had none of my belongings the next sobriety stories morning, my friend and I went back to this house. When we walked inside, I was greeted with the words, “Nice performance last night.” I cringed. I wondered what he meant, but I didn’t dare ask. Instead, I laughed and changed the subject, asking if my phone and purse were there by chance.