You had so much happen to you at such a young age, it’s a wonder you lived. Why do you think you were able to get clean when so many people fail?
I don’t know to be honest. I was willing to do the work and to go to any length to have a new life. I was open to going to rehab and then sober living after that. I was willing to attend lots of meetings and get a sponsor. I found a therapist to help me unearth all the reasons why I used and I keep working a program of recovery everyday. I am lucky but I also guard my sobriety with all the strength I have because I know it is a gift and one that can be taken in an instant if I become complacent.
Once you decided to stop drinking, you never did again. Yet, I’ve heard the saying, “relapse is part of recovery.” What do you say to that?
The statistics for relapse are staggering, 80-90% of addicts and alcoholics relapse. Relapse is and can absolutely be a part of recovery—it doesn’t have to be—but often times it is and that is okay. Long term sobriety requires you to rethink everything in your life. It is really hard to change everything about yourself and think that you won’t make any mistakes. The difference is being able to pick yourself back up, brush your ego off and walk back into the program of recovery.
What would you say to a lesbian who is reading this who is struggling with a drug or alcohol problem?
You are not alone. No matter how bad you think your life is and your pain is there are lots of other young women who have walked your path and will help you find a better, healthier one if you let them. No one has to live in the hopelessness, desperation and fear that addiction causes. There is a way out but you have to want to do the work.
Resources for Recovery
