While several common themes have emerged from my continual storytelling, I feel most called to share alcoholism’s influence on my feelings, my family and my faith. These are the stories I most often share through my own experience, strength and hope. Please contact me if you’d like to discuss an opportunity to speak to your group. Each topic can be further refined for any target audience. If you have another idea related to addiction and recovery, please contact us.
Secrets
Although I knew my drinking was abnormal long before I got help, I didn’t talk about it with anyone. Keeping it to myself perpetuated the vicious cycle. The more I drank, the more ashamed I felt, so I drank more to numb. The more I tried to manage it on my own, the more I failed, so I drank more for comfort. When talking to our children, my husband and I compare secrets to the stomach flu. While we all try to avoid the discomfort that comes from physically purging, there is great relief when we finally do. We feel better, lighter. While mine was unhealthy drinking, any secret can be toxic. It poisons from within. Through my story, I’ll illustrate the dangers of keeping secrets and the deliverance that comes from leaning into God to expose them.
The HIGHLIGHT REEL
Comparison is the thief of all joy. Today, with multiple social media platforms highlighting every perfect birthday party, family photo, and exoctic vacation, it’s easy for any woman to feel inferior. We’re surrounded by the “highlight reel,” while the outtakes are never shared. Comparing myself to other women, wives, mothers and professionals, provided me plenty of content to justify the self-pity that kept me drinking. By sharing my own experience, I can relate to the struggles faced by every woman and offer hope that comes from focusing on WHOSE we are, rather than WHO we are.
The OTHER SIDE of the STORY
My husband Carl was a student of addiction long before I got sober. Months of studying and praying equipped him to recognize and accept the unraveling of his own wife. His experiences during my last year of drinking, and the changes he has witnessed since, lend a different perspective. Together, we share the impact addiction and recovery have on the whole family through both sides of our story.
A THORN in my FLESH
In early recovery, my quiet time grew a deeper, closer relationship with God. It was here that I began to relate to Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. In describing his gratitude for the thorn in his own flesh, Paul demonstrates the peace that comes with accepting its purpose as one of God’s gifts. In recognizing my eternal dependance on Him to live sober, I’m reminded every day of His power, His grace and His unconditional love. Because of this experience, I’m able to share how my alcoholism drew me closer to God and continues to grow my faith.
*I am not a licensed addiction counselor or medical professional. I cannot advise or guide individuals on a personal treatment plan. These stories are told from my perspective as a means to reveal one person’s journey from the bondage of alcoholism to the miracles in sobriety.