Dan’s Story A Father Celebrates One Year of Sobriety

Her father struggled with alcohol, cocaine, and heroin while her half-brother died from a heroin overdose at age 23. I truly love reading everyone’s stories here. I never thought of contributing myself, but just recently started to think that maybe someone can be inspired by my own stories. I’m going to keep this short and sweet, but every word is true. Oh how I wish I could talk with you in person! Just reading your words on the pages of your books, I can feel your love and joy for all. Like many girls her age, Jules tried to control her life by disordered eating.

I had completed all except two course credits for my degree within three years and spent my final year engaged in analytical chemistry research for the last two credits. I was offered a scholarship opportunity to go on to PhD studies in chemistry, but chose to continue on to med school instead. Again, in med school, I sought out and found friends who partied just like me. Comedian and spiritual enthusiast Russell Brand is also celebrating 16 years of sobriety.

A Look into the Lives of Those Who Sought Drug Abuse Treatment

White contracted HIV through a blood transfusion and John became close to him and his family. Let’s take a look at some of the celebrities who have been open about both their addiction and their recovery. Herolights the way for your dream – step-by-step through every challenge, hurdle, or set back – until it is realized.

I was in a meeting with Chris one day – and I’ve mentioned I love sports – and he told me that it’s like it is the 4th quarter and I’m down 40 points and I need my best team with me. I just thought that if I put drugs down, if I put alcohol down, that everything would get better and that I didn’t need to find out what was really wrong, what was really going on. I thought it was the drugs and alcohol and not anything else. I am 40 years old, I’m from Worcester Massachusetts, and I’ve lived here my whole life. I’ve been battling addiction and alcoholism pretty much my whole adult life. In honor of Father’s Day we are grateful to share the recovery story of one of our former guests which highlights a family’s journey and the healing power of recovery. Don describes feeling as though he has finally seen the light and he now feels strong in his recovery.

The Power of Addiction Recovery: Before and After Photos and Stories

I had someone I was at Herren Wellness with come up from New Jersey for my one-year celebration there, and that meant to the world to me. My whole goal right now is to be a good husband, a good father, and to help other alcoholics and addicts who are going through the same thing that I have.

I did my first Wimbledon finals and birthday weekend without alcohol. My first vacation was a nonstop struggle ~ I could see the beauty of the coastal Carolinas, but I could not feel it.

Drug Addiction: Recovery and Success Stories

I tried IOP but it was too religious for me and the idea of me being helpless was foreign. I went to a few AA meetings, but also not for me. I read the books, I did the workbook, I cleaned all the alcohol out of the house. I have now been clean and sober for almost two years.

• The following are real stories from real people who have been impacted by alcoholism and how they found themselves on the road to recovery.
• Because of Women for Sobriety, I am doing what I dreamed of as a child and countless things I never would have dreamed of.
• My friends right now wouldn’t tolerate me drinking — it would be very strange for them.
• When a person transitions, it’s like rebirthing a human.
• I was unhappy and disinterested in our marriage, and my attention started to wander.

I had heard about it before, but was hesitant to attend any meetings, or seek help. While I had success, trying to recover by myself left me without any resources or support to assist me when things got difficult. Talking in a a group about our short timer goals the past week and the future week allowed me to stay focused and to receive helpful tips and new perspectives offered by the group. LifeRing meetings have made my recovery easier, without me needing to rely on outside help, or focus on things that don’t help me. During those two decades I went through an extended outpatient program as well as a month-long residential program. Both were 12-step programs and neither enabled me to stay sober for more than a few months. I don’t know whether that was because of the nature of the programs or because I was not yet ready to stop drinking.

Category: Personal Stories

He started experimenting with cocaine in 1974 as a way to gain social acceptance. John described himself as a loner who wasn’t good looking and he sobriety success stories used drugs to make him feel like part of the “gang”. He recalled that his first line of cocaine made him sick but he still went back for more.

• My dad vowed to stop using, but like all alcoholics, he didn’t.
• As you can see from these stories, there is a large community of people out there who are at various stages of their personal journey.
• The only thing to do was not to drink or drug no matter what.
• Whether you are on day one or year five of your sobriety, reminding yourself that you are not alone can help you stay focused on what truly matters—your health and happiness.
• I just thought that if I put drugs down, if I put alcohol down, that everything would get better and that I didn’t need to find out what was really wrong, what was really going on.

I had a brief extramarital affair that lasted a couple of days while I was on vacation in 2003. It all happened while the children played together outside on the beach. My wife had made a last minute decision to stay home with one of the children, giving me the perfect opportunity to pursue intoxicated unfaithful bliss. Unfortunately for Katie, this meant keeping her drinking private and away from her father’s household. She was able to operate under the false belief that she had her alcohol use under control until she found herself packing for treatment at the age of 22 following a DUI.

My boyfriend and I go to AA meetings together to this day and I met my sponsor at a speaker’s meeting. I took my first drink in the eighth grade.

• I never thought of contributing myself, but just recently started to think that maybe someone can be inspired by my own stories.
• Think about how that particular statement applies to your life.
• And actually, it was that pain that caused me to be so willing to do anything for sobriety.
• I couldn’t really sort through who I actually wanted to be around because I felt like I was just along for the ride and I wasn’t really in charge.

Worse, alcohol had become such a necessity in her life that she couldn’t even manage to feel drunk anymore. Around this time, Jules hit her lowest point, suffering a miscarriage of a pregnancy she hadn’t even been aware of. Shortly after, her university asked her to leave. This was the moment where Jules finally recognized the true repercussions alcohol dependency had on her life.

I was in and out of treatment and in and out of the house. My wife didn’t really realize what was going on because I would manipulate everything. At this time we had three children, and then she got pregnant with twins so we had five kids under the age of seven. That is why Don T is a role model for anyone in recovery. https://ecosoberhouse.com/ He managed to stay meth-free thanks to 12-step recovery meetings with other people who are addicted to more than one substance. He attributes his success to the power of these meetings. From the JourneyPure team where we get to explore a wide variety of substance abuse- and mental health-related topics.