- Alcohol
- Drugs
- Friends & Family
How did your journey begin?
I got sober at 19. I’ve been sober since October 15, 1985. I also just celebrated a year as an active member of Alanon. My story is pretty simple really. I was a lost kid with a lot of pain and fear. I stayed lost in pain and fear, drugged and drunk for long enough to get here. Initially my parents and the state put me into treatment. There were people who were predicting that I wouldn’t make it to be 20 and they were probably right. I went back and forth a few times, different treatment centers and different states. It was a lot different trying to get sober in the 80’s than it is now. I ended up detox in a blackout and when I came to there were opportunities to have a roof over my head in the middle of winter, so I agreed. Time and a lot of patience from a lot of people who were much smarter than me kept me there. I woke up one day and had a life.
How is your life different now?
The whole beyond-your-wildest-dreams thing is the truth. I’m overwhelmed every minute by the life that I have. I shouldn’t have any rights to it at all. Every day is better than the day before. Even when it’s not. It’s still better than the day before.
Is there any advice or inspiration that you would like to share?
When you get to that place where you don’t know what else to do – do something unexpected. Do something different. Even if it doesn’t make perfect sense, do something to make a change. Do anything. It doesn’t really matter whether you’ve been sober 7 hours , 7 years or 27 years, even if you think it’s impossible, know that it is… It is possible, you can do it.