Growing up, I had a great home life, a close-knit group of friends, I was active in many sports and clubs and I was a good student. When in college, I didn’t drink much, was usually the designated driver, and knew that breaking the law had its consequences. In my Senior year of college, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and was devastated that I no longer felt like myself anymore.
Shortly after college, I moved from Western Pennsylvania to Maryland, where I did not know anyone, for a job. Being newly diagnosed with MS, being in a new place, and feeling different, I found that I needed something to forget all the difficulties that I was facing, and I turned to alcohol. One glass of wine quickly turned into a bottle, and no matter how much I knew that I should stop, I felt like there was this invisible grip on me that I couldn’t shrug off.
This went on for many years, and though I went through many rehabs and attended meetings, my heart wasn’t in it, and I didn’t believe in myself enough to think that I could do it. My turning point was when my addiction caused me to lose my job in a profession that I loved, lose custody of my children, and lose my self-love and self-respect. Though I tried so hard to find other options for help before this, I ended up going to a women’s recovery house for 11 months. This is what I found to be the resource to work for me. I learned to love myself again, I learned acceptance, and most of all, I learned to be patient and allow events to happen when they are supposed to happen.
September 15, 2015 is my sobriety date and though it hasn’t always been easy, this year I will have six years sober. I’ve been able to see how things get better in sobriety: I got my kids back almost 50% of the time, I see a light in my eyes, and I very recently went back to the profession that I love and find very rewarding. Without patience, belief, working a program, having a strong recovery group, and acceptance, this would have never been possible.
To the person who doesn’t know if they can do it, YOU CAN! Things aren’t going to happen overnight, but they will get so much better. Be patient, believe in yourself, have faith, and have patience, in both yourself, and the timing. Recovery DOES work!
