Recovery has been the greatest gift of my life. I am grateful to have more than 10 years in recovery. I grew up in a small town, and my first social drink was a keg party in the woods.

It was cold and dark, but I remember how I felt like I could talk to boys and have fun without feeling insecure. The next morning I felt terrible, but from that point on, drinking was a part of my social life. After my mother committed suicide one week after I graduated from college, drinking became an escape. I wanted something to take the pain away. I didn’t know how to live in the world.

When I was 25, I hit bottom. The pain of drinking outweighed any comfort it provided. On a cold January day, my sister drove me to the Caron Foundation. That was the start of my journey and learning to heal. I left rehab on Valentine’s Day and attended my first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. The day of my first anniversary in recovery I cried the whole day, I was so grateful to be sober.

Today I work in recovery advocacy, and I try to help people who are experiencing the suffering I once did. My life today isn’t always easy, but I know that my recovery and the support I have in my life today can carry me through any situation life brings to me.