RECOVERY STORY OF THE MONTH

My name is Paige and my sobriety date is 12/6/2023. I began my sobriety journey 23 years ago when my son’s dad and I were divorcing and it has been a challenging 23 years to say the least. Today I am grateful, hopeful, and blessed to have a year and 4 months sober and God has been gracious and merciful to me throughout. I was born in Florida, raised in Alabama (ROLL TIDE!) and lived most of my life in Charleston, SC. I was raised in a very conservative home in the Bible Belt of the south.

No one drank in my family and extended family so I didn’t grow up around alcohol. My dad did start drinking when I went off to college and was a full blown alcoholic within a few years. My first drink was around 10 years old when I had a stomach ache and my mother gave me wine to help. Weird huh? I ended up marrying an attorney from Charleston, SC and around the 14th year of our marriage, I began drinking more. I had social anxiety and the drinking increased when we went to social events and I was nervous having to talk to more intelligent people.

… you have to pass it on to stay sober.

We divorced and I started having consequences as a result of my drinking – I was arrested for drinking and driving, would make a fool of myself at events, wrecking cars, losing jobs, not showing up for others, etc. The hardest part is the hurt I have inflicted on my only son and his wife and of course the rest of my family. They have forgiven me thanks to the Lord! I have had periods of sobriety over the years – been to rehabs, inpatient and outpatient but haven’t had success until I came to Cleveland just to seek help to get sober.

I am at Jean Marie and it has been awesome for me and I believe God led me here! With AA, all my beautiful friends in sobriety, my sponsor, Michele and my relationship with my God, I have managed to stay sober and feel it in my soul now. We must work on sobriety forever and we must keep doing all the things that helped us get sober. Also, seek Peace and Serenity! I used to drink over the things I did in my past but I realized, would my child rather me be sober or drink over my past? No brainer – he just wanted his mother back! If you are new, go to AA, get a sponsor you trust and want what she has, pray, read your devotions and say the third step and the prayer every day! Then always do Step 12, help another alcoholic – as my sponsor says, you have to pass it on to stay sober!