I first found Sophia Recovery because I was trying to help a family member who was addicted to alcohol and weed. At the same time, I was drinking every day myself. I thought, “hmmm, I'm gonna keep that in the back of my mind for me.”

I grew up in a big family. I actually didn't really have much of a childhood. We were poor, and my dad was a violent alcoholic. He passed away while driving drunk when I was one so I grew up as a very responsible child. I always worked and was always trying to do better for myself and my family.

When I was about 18 I started drinking on the weekends with friends. Every weekend that's what we did: we drank. But it didn’t become a problem until much later in my life.

I was working in healthcare. I was very fit and active and I got injured in an accident, and lost my mobility. That's when I started drinking every day. I was struggling with chronic pain from my injury and had a couple other conditions going on. I was using drinking as a way to cope. By this time I figured out that my husband was a functioning alcoholic and I drank every day with him, basically. It was kind of easier to drink with somebody who was doing the same thing.

In May 2023, I decided it was time to make some changes. I had lost my three best friends in a span of 4 years and didn’t have any real connection anymore with friends. I got to a place where I needed help and try to figure out a new path for myself. I decided that I was going to go to a program at Sophia.

What I found at Sophia Recovery was a wonderful group: we laughed together, we cried together and healed together. I went to my first SMART recovery meeting, and that was when I decided to stop drinking. Many of the women had quit drinking and I thought it would be great to have accountability and support from people who were experiencing the same thing.

I also got the strength to leave the relationship I was in. That didn’t feel like a blessing at first. But it was the beginning of healing - to find my own identity beyond that relationship, and move toward what I wanted for my life. I never would've been able to stop drinking if he was still in my life.

I’ve learned that I’m very creative and I began to do art and found that to be very mindful. I love flowers so I garden. I love sitting in my yard enjoying the flowers I planted, listening to the birds, and feeling at peace with the world.

This July I'll be one year sober. I still have an injury I manage with some medication, but not with alcohol. We can’t change everything that happens, but we can change how we think about it.

Now I help other women in their struggles to find healing in their journey. Not only do I have more peace and clarity, I feel like I'm in control of my life again.

If you’re thinking about coming to Sophia Recovery - be brave and just walk through that door.  You will never regret it. It’s the best place to be if you want to recover with others who are doing the same.