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Cinderella’s Story

Susanne Johnson
| August 31, 2014

Once upon a time there lived an unhappy young girl. Her mother was dead, and her father married a widow with two daughters. Her stepmother didn’t like her one little bit. All her kind thoughts and loving touches were for her own daughters. Nothing was too good for them. They got new dresses and shoes, delicious food, soft beds and every home comfort.

For the poor unhappy girl, there was nothing at all. No dresses other than her stepsisters’ hand-me-downs, no lovely dishes, no rest and no comfort. She worked hard all day, was sexually abused by her father and verbally abused by her stepmother.

Cinderella spent long hours alone talking to the cat, as she had no friends or support. The cat said, “Miaow,” which really meant, “Cheer up! You have something neither of your stepsisters has, and that is beauty, inside and out.” It was true, as Cinderella, even dressed in old rags, was a lovely girl, but she was so stuck into her depression that she could not see anything beautiful in life at all. She lived in a dark place full of pain and often had suicidal thoughts.

One day beautiful new dresses arrived at the house. A ball was to be held at the palace nightclub, and the stepsisters were getting ready to go. Cinderella didn’t dare ask if she could go too. She knew very well what the answer would be: “You? You’re staying home to wash the dishes, scrub the floors and serve your father his beer.”

Cinderella thought, “Oh dear, I’m so unhappy! If there only there was a way to take my pain away.” Suddenly something amazing happened. While Cinderella was sitting all alone, she had some of her father’s liquor. There was a burst of light, and the alcohol fairy appeared. “Don’t be alarmed, Cinderella,” said the fairy. “This is your disease. You will have to live with it. It will seem to make you feel better, and it will make you promises. I know you would love to go to the ball, and so you shall!” The alcohol fairy flicked her magic wand, and Cinderella found herself wearing the most beautiful dress she had ever seen and feeling the most beautiful feeling she had ever felt. The alcohol did what it promised. All pain was gone, and a smile appeared on her face. “Now for your coach,” said the fairy. “A real lady would never go to a ball on foot!” The fairy provided Cinderella with a beautiful car, one that went missing in the neighborhood that night, to drive to the ball. “Be home at midnight, or you face sobriety checkpoints,” the alcohol fairy said. “You might lose everything you’ve received.”

At the ball she met a handsome, charming man. He gave her pills to swallow and a white powder to inhale. Cinderella had a wonderful time until she heard the first stroke of midnight. She remembered what the alcohol-fairy had said, and without a word of goodbye, she slipped from the guy’s arms and ran down the steps. As she ran, she had trouble not falling, and she lost one of her slippers. She didn’t dare stop to pick it up. If the last stroke of midnight were to sound, what a disaster that would be! She fled into the night, and she got stopped by the cops. She failed the field sobriety test on the way home and ended up in jail wearing just one dirty shoe and a dirty evening dress. She had a DUI, possession charges and charges for a stolen vehicle.

The prince, owner of the nightclub and a drug dealer, was now madly in love with her. He picked up the slipper and said to his bodyguards, “Go and search everywhere for the girl whose foot this slipper fits. I will never be content until I find her! She owes me a lot of money, and I want her back.” The bodyguards tried the slipper on the foot of every girl in the land until only Cinderella was left.

When they were about to find her, the recovery fairy appeared, bailed her out of jail and waved her magic wand. A good friend of the family appeared, shining with youth and beauty in a splendid dress. She told Cinderella that she is in recovery herself and can help her get her life back. Cinderella had a bad hangover and just wanted “one more” to avoid her pain and feelings of shame and guilt. Her stepmother and stepsisters gaped at her in amazement, and the friend said, “Come with me Cinderella! Treatment is waiting for you. If you want what I have, just follow me and do what I do.”

Cinderella made a really heroic move and followed the friend despite her cravings and wishes for “more.” Cinderella got a second chance in life and escaped the physical and emotional prison of her former life of addiction. All charges were put on probation when Cinderella enrolled in a two-year monitoring program. The prince was never seen again, and Cinderella deleted his phone number.

I don’t know if she lives happily ever after, but I am confident that she deserved this chance to become truly herself and live the life she deserves, a life that is happy, joyous and free of substances, pain and abuse. Life is not a fairytale, but happy endings in recovery are possible. Help to break the stigma. Addicts need treatment, help and support, not punishment and jail. There are just too many alcohol- and drug-fairies and not enough recovery-fairies in this world. Addiction is a disease, and there is hope. You have the power to change this. A good way to help others is by sharing your story of recovery with us. Click on the “share” button on this website, and you will be guided through the process, or contact me anytime through Facebook or the comment section here if you need help to do your story. I’m happy to do it with you, together, chatting or on the phone.

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