- Alcohol
- Friends & Family
My name is Tracy. I am a drunk. It has been 20 years since my last drink. I woke up one morning and knew I could not live life as I had known it for one minute longer. At that point, I did not know how I was going to get home, much less live the 20 years that followed as a sober woman. I think that moment was my first spiritual awakening. On the day I made that big change, I knew I was going to either kill myself or I had to live differently.
I have had many heroes who have helped me along the way. Most of them have been ordinary drunks like myself. I sought additional outside help in early sobriety, during a difficult relationship, and when my mother died from this disease. My heroes held my hand when I was afraid, hugged me when I cried, and kicked my butt when I was being a stubborn jerk.
There are several women in my life who have tried for years to get sober. I always tell them to get up and try again when they relapse…and also to put the bat away. If this were cancer or some other terminal condition, we wouldn’t beat ourselves up for getting sick again. All we can do is try again one day at a time.
Today, my life has become real in recovery. Not all of it has been fabulous. I am currently recovering from broken bones 11 and 12. I have lost more jobs in sobriety than I ever did drinking. I have had to end relationships of all types when my sobriety was threatened. Today, my life is filled with strong women who support each other in this journey. My work today is about how I can serve more than it is about how much money I can make. It didn’t feel like it first, but sobriety is my greatest gift. In order to keep it, I have to give it away every day.
This dis-ease does not care how rich or poor you are. It doesn’t care where you live, how educated you are, what kind of job you have, or anything else. It wants you dead. At least two of my family members have drank themselves to death. If my sobriety accomplishes nothing else, but shows others there is another way, I am happy to accompany you on this journey. If you are struggling with addiction, come along with us.