Erica was awesome! I tweeted her along my journey to Colorado and she tweeted back about being interested in sharing her story. We ended up sharing stories over lunch and on a walk down Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado. Her honesty captivated me and her love of life brought joy to me.When I first met Erica, I could tell we both were happy to put a face with a “tweet”. We ended up chatting at a small sit down café. I asked her if it was okay to record our conversation, so that I would be able to remember it later and reassured me that it was perfectly okay.
My first question for Erica was, “What brought you to take that leap of faith and seek recovery?” She said it was hitting bottom that made her seek the help she needed. She had nothing left to sell, no money to her name and nowhere to go. It was either death or jail for her, and luckily enough, it was jail. While in jail she called a friend she could count on. She had not talked with this friend in a while because he had told her not to call until she was ready to get sober. Luckily, she picked up the phone and eventually he picked her up from jail.
This is where Erica’s story of inspiration really starts to kick in. She said he saved her life. He brought her into his home and motivated her to stay sober. Erica stressed that although their roommate relationship has become pretty good today, it has taken a while to learn good communication skills. Trust has been something that is a must for her. She stressed she had to learn how to trust again and how to set sound, stable boundaries.
Throughout our conversation, I could not help but to smile. I asked her what keeps her going in her everyday life. She went on about how it’s keeping people close to her and knowing she never has to be alone again.
When I asked her what her message to others in recovery is she said, “ Life will be okay no matter what. Life does get better and you never have to be alone in recovery.”