- Alcohol
Susan began drinking and continued on that path for more than a decade, eventually endangering her health, her career and her personal relationships. She was in and out of detox and was experiencing seizures. Friends and family began to notice. Her job was at risk because she was missing work due to addiction.
Finally, after another trip to detox and the suggestion of a friend that she enter treatment, something just clicked. “That’s the grace,” Susan says. “I don’t know why that time worked for me, but it was grace.”
At six months sober, she showed up at a treatment center and they hired her. Eventually, she ventured out on her own. In private practice, she decided to turn a passionate hobby into a livelihood.
Today, she’s been in recovery for 14 years and has found a peace of mind she didn’t know was possible when she was drinking. She currently offers private practice counseling and aftercare, specializing in young people.
“I think they’re very courageous,” Susan says of her young patients. “I didn’t know I had a choice when I was 15 or 16 not to drink. Having an intervention at 15 instead of 30 is a way to raise the bottom.”