- Alcohol
Julie has alcoholism on both sides of her family. She had her first drink at age 13, picked up steam at age 15 and drank until she was 32. Julie now has about 11 years of sobriety under her belt, and her mother is her biggest supporter. She started her recovery with a two-month outpatient program and followed it with an endless number of meetings to keep herself busy at night.
She has lost jobs, experienced life’s ups and down and relapsed once. She mentions that these times are when you go back and talk to your sponsor and your friends and get back on track. She feels she can always come back to the good foundation she received during her outpatient treatment.
Her advice for people new to recovery is to, “Get your network together, your sponsor, your friends and stand with your feet on the ground. It takes [living] a day at a time, sometimes a minute at a time.” Julie is proud of the success she has in sobriety and that she has lived 11 years without a drink or drug.
The biggest change that came with sobriety was in how she feels about her life and about herself. Her outlook has changed. Even if life looks unmanageable at times, there is nothing she needs to drink in response to. She is glad she regained trust and respect from friends and family and enjoys running as part of keeping healthy and fit in her recovery.