Drug and Alcohol Addiction: Before and After Photos and Stories

If everyone is drinking or doing drugs and you’re sober, then you probably shouldn’t be there in the first place, especially if you’re newly in recovery. Over the course of the day, her drinking had led her to be separated from her friends, her purse, https://g-markets.net/sober-living/top-10-best-sober-living-homes-in-boston-ma/ her shoes and her sanity. Eventually, she was taken to the hospital. Her drinking only took off once she got to college, where she forged a new identity as a self-proclaimed “cool party girl.” For a while, she believed she was responsible enough.

It’s time for us to speak up and let the world know that recovery from addiction is possible and anyone is capable of living a healthy, wonderful life free of drugs and alcohol. Human stories are the most powerful tool we have to combat addiction. I started going to concerts and summer music festivals sober. I worked on becoming a person that friends and family could rely on, and confide in if they were struggling with alcohol abuse. Today, I own my story and have become a public advocate. That’s why I created The Sobriety Collective, a community for creatives in recovery from addiction and mental illness.

Sober Story: Magz

Maybe the most striking part of Patrick’s personality is his acute self-awareness. It’s a trait that he sharpened while in recovery, and it’s a significant reason why he’s finally found so much success staying sober. One of the things that breaks my heart is that I was not always there for my family as much as I feel I should have been. They supported me through my entire journey. Like too many people, substance use disorder had taken over Gina’s life – that is, until one day when she found the inner strength to ask for help.

  • I called my mom and told her I needed to go to rehab.
  • I reflect on the journey of the podcast throughout the year, having shared many motivational stories from various individuals overcoming alcohol addiction.
  • This is a must read for anyone passionate about exploring their relationship with alcohol and the role a patriarchal system has played in rising rates of unhealthy substance use in America.
  • In 2007, at age 24, Laura pulled a 180 and went from being an insecure, anxious binge drinker to newly-minted sober 20-something.
  • It’s not for everyone, but it makes sense to me.

That, to me, was freedom – but it later became prison. Read about their journeys, and learn how drug abuse treatment has played different but essential roles in their lives. Recovery Speakers offers a wide range of resources for people recovering from addiction in any of its forms, including alcohol. They have the largest collection of audio-recorded recovery talks spanning 70 years. On their blog, readers can find personal recovery stories from bloggers and tips on remaining in recovery.

Life after addiction isn’t just possible. It’s the norm

There are exceptions to this, like if someone alludes to their own struggle with alcohol, and then I might offer up a bit more of my personal experience. Ask any sober person whether they want to go to a cocktail party or stay in with a pack of La Croix, The Crown, and a bathrobe. I’d bet nine out of 10 of us won’t even answer, and we’ll just laugh because it’s such a The Missing Piece: The Spiritual Malady ridiculous question. Sobriety doesn’t necessarily turn you into Liz Lemon, but it can give you the clarity to understand that you’ve been Liz Lemon your whole life. It’s part of the sobriety package, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sobriety can be an incredible way to shed relationships you’ve outgrown as well as find new ones that align with your new values.

When a person transitions, it’s like rebirthing a human. And my relationship with myself has gotten so much deeper, there’s so much more to me. The fact that I’m still breathing, that I’m still here…

Sober Story: Lynne

This book turns the lights back on inside of you. Reading We are the Luckiest by Laura McKowen can quite possibly save your life. For anyone hiding in the shadows of shame, this book is a guiding light. We Are the Luckiest is both poetic and gut-wrenching.

  • I sat down in front of her and she said, “I can see from your test results that you’re manipulative and self-centered.” To which I replied, “Yes, of course, I am.
  • I was called into the counselor’s office and I lied to them about the drinking.
  • First, he must know that there is help out there for him and for her.

But there’s a deeper, human element in each story that is too often untold. Queeret is a blog and community for introvert queers to share each other’s company in queer, quiet, and sober gatherings called Qalms. Josh Hersh started Queeret (a merging of the words queer and quiet) as an Instagram account. Originally based in Brooklyn, it has grown quickly and so far has hosted meetups in about a dozen cities across America.

It typically takes eight years or longer to achieve long-term remission even with high quality treatment and medical care. Less visible are the people who survive the illness and rebuild their lives. They recover and go on to live full and healthy lives.