- Alcohol
- Drugs
- Friends & Family
submitted by: Susanne Johnson
Drinking began the addiction cycle for Danielle at the age of twelve. It was followed by the use of cocaine at age 17. They moved to the Nashville area when she was young. On December 1st she celebrated two years of living clean and sober from both.
It was not a specific event that caused Danielle to rethink life and then turn toward her recovery. She remembers driving down the road and all of a sudden being struck by the thought that there must be something else other than the life she was living. Her thoughts lead her to action and she started to attend 12-step meetings. During the first 60 days of her recovery she went to 3-5 meetings each day to overcome her desire to get lost in the drugs again. “I was at MY bottom,” she describes the feelings she had at this time. She was extremely unhappy with the life she was living. “Nothing ever went right. I could not find any happiness. I dated the wrong people. I hung around the wrong people. I was the wrong people.” Danielle’s addiction reached the worst point in that she tried to kill herself one day. She is so happy today that this serious event did not end her life.
A few years prior to this Danielle had already tried to go to meetings to get out of the addiction and into recovery, but it didn’t stick to her or speak to her at that time. The last time, it was different and she put all effort into that attempt to reach recovery. She was working as a waitress all her life and that gave her enough time during the day to go from meeting to meeting before she went to work in the evening. She loved to go to different meetings and went to any location she could find where meetings were held. She also attended a faith based recovery program and did a discipleship. She believes that a 12-step program and faith can work hand in hand in recovery.
Working at a restaurant was a little hard at first, but she was at a point in life where she had secluded herself and didn’t have any interest to go out after work, meet friends or hang around in bars. She never wanted people to see her like she was and stayed home alone after working hours. She continued to work at a restaurant all through her recovery and she is glad that she became able to overcome the desire to drink all while she was still able to serve and be around alcohol at work. Danielle still has the urge to drink some days, but she replays in her head how that day and night would continue if she would give in that urge. Today her brain responds immediately with a “oh no, no, no, no”, when she engage in those thoughts.
“Turn your life over to God and start to go to meetings,” she would like to tell people that are not in recovery yet. “Hang out with people who are in recovery and watch them. Try to figure out this way, what works for you.” She says, “Ask God for help. He is always there for help right beside you.”
Danielle said that she has many dreams for her life. One of them is to help women to recover. She did help some in her past and was moved to help another person. At her church revival, she was called “Freedom Fighter” and “Mother Theresa” at the same time, indicating that she has both qualities in one. She would love to go into this direction in her life, helping other women to overcome their struggles. “I have learned that you can be an overcomer of many things in life and I am currently working on my shopping habits,” Danielle added.