- Alcohol
On October 18th of 1992 I was locked in my room with a crack pipe in one hand a bottle in the other and a cigarette burning in the ashtray. There was a knock at my door and for some unforeseen reason I opened the door which was totally out of character for me as I still had some stash left. It was a friend who had recently gotten sober. She proceeded to tell me that I had a disease and that there was a way I could quit by going to these meetings. I thanked her, ushered her out, and continued to feed the demon.
By some divine intervention what she said stuck with me, and I felt a sense of relief! I had lived the last 25 years of my life as an addict/alcoholic and was resigned to the fact that I would die that way, completely hopeless. The fact that she said “I had a disease” allowed me to stop blaming myself and gave me a ray of hope. I stayed sober the next day which was a miracle, and the day after, October 20th, I attended my first meeting and have been sober ever since!
At 10 years of sobriety I got my first job working in treatment and have been working in the field ever since in different capacities and at several treatment centers and sober living facilities. I was trained as an interventionist and life coach, attended school, and completed a chemical dependency counseling program. From my 10 years working in the addiction field the area where I have seen the most growth and joy come to clients and others in recovery is experiential activities. I have taken folks surfing, kayaking, hiking, stand up paddling, zip lining, waterfall repelling, snorkeling and biking. These activities combined with yoga and meditation brings peace to our overactive minds and helps keep us in the moment. I live a life today that I never thought possible, and it’s all contingent on my sobriety!