Inspirational Stories of Recovery

There are so many inspirational stories of recovery, millions actually. It can be tough to pinpoint just a few. However, by sharing these stories of recovery, our Sylvia Brafman team is hoping to inspire you or your loved one who has an addiction or mental health disorder to reach out for help.  We know that it is possible to overcome substance use and mental health disorders as we have helped thousands of people. If you are ready to work on your recovery now, please reach out to us today.

Carla – the Mom of 3

Back when I was 15, I got in trouble for running away from home for a weekend. The problem was that my parents were divorced and I went week to week to each of my parents. So, my dad said to go to school and back – nowhere else on his weeks. My mom said I couldn’t leave her sight, so I had to go to parties and other places with her. Since she was also a drinker, I fell into the drinking crowd.  Within weeks, I was a full-blown alcoholic. I couldn’t stop at just one or two. I would stay up all through the night and then go to school the next morning without sleeping. Through the weekdays, I barely made it through my schoolwork. In the evenings on Tuesdays and Thursdays, some family members, friends and I had co-ed softball games to play at. Basically, it was another reason to get drunk. Anything was a reason those days – divorce, breakups, marriage, rainy days, snowy days, ball games, holidays and much more. 

Skip forward from 2003 to 2009, I had 2 kids by this point and I had begun drinking and driving when I was 18. I knew it was wrong, but once I had a few too many, it didn’t phase me. In 2009, I got my first DUI after putting my car in the ditch when I was drinking and driving. I didn’t end up in jail, but I was told to go to Impact Weekend, got probation, had to pay some fines and got a breathalyzer machine put in my car with a restricted license. I stopped drinking throughout my 1 year of probation, but 2 days after it was over, I was right back at it. This time, even more sloppy drunk, being that I hadn’t drank in a year.  In 2011, I got my 2nd DUI and spent one night in jail. This time I got fines and probation.

The judge told me one more DUI and I would be spending a lot of time in jail. So, I admitted myself to an outpatient addiction treatment program. Mind you, I found out I also had a co-occurring disorder with an alcohol addiction, generalized anxiety disorder, depression and PTSD.  For the next 2 years, I spent a lot of time in individual therapy, group therapy, art therapy and working on writing a self-help recovery book. To this day, I am almost thankful that I hit my rock bottom, because the only way for me to go was up and that is what I did. I am now 11 years sober and continue to work on my recovery.  Reach out to our Sylvia Brafman team for addiction treatment today!

Scott – The College Student and Casino Employee.

Were you inspired by the stories of recovery from Carla? Learn about what Scott went through today.

I began college directly out of high school and had never had a drink before in my life. However, about a month after I started college, I landed a job at the local casino and was attending school full-time, as well. My schedules were insane – work early morning hours, school, homework and work nightshift hours. This was happening 6 days out of the week. The 7th day all I wanted to do was sleep. 

It was a Friday afternoon when I was in class and I was invited to my first college party. I told them I didn’t drink, but I thought it would be fun to go to the party anyways. Thought, maybe getting out would reduce my stress. About an hour into the party, I came across two of my college friends who went to high school with me. They were drinking and offered me just one beer (“come on, just have one with us, it will be fine.”) That is what I heard and I thought, it couldn’t be that bad as I’d be walking back to may apartment anyways. 

I started drinking the one beer and before I knew it that one turned into three and I was a bit more than buzzed. From that point on, I don’t remember much. One thing I do remember, though, is that I woke up on the floor of someone else’s bathroom, with little to no recollection of the night before. My head and body were aching so bad.  I managed to get myself up off the floor and walked back to my apartment.

I realized that with the blackout, I wasn’t so stressed this morning. I went about my schedule for the day and figured why not have just one drink tonight – maybe, that would take the edge off my stress. Again, the one turned into a few too many and I was wasted. I was home alone and feeling so sick, I could barely stand up. I started walking to the bathroom, but tripped and fell onto my glass coffee table. It shattered in pieces and cut me on my face, arms, legs and a shard through my abdomen.  Luckily, I was able to get to my phone to call 9-1-1. They stitched me up and got the shards of glass out of my body. It was so painful. They could smell the alcohol on me, though, so they did a blood alcohol level and it was .31. With the legal limit for driving, being under .08, I knew that was extremely high. 

I realized I could have bled out and died that night, so I swore never to drink again. I had a lot of cravings the next few days, so I went to an AA meeting on campus. I spent the next year attending meetings to work on my perfectionism and ease my cravings. While my addictive lifestyle was very short-lived, I never want to go back to that place in life again. 

I highly encourage anyone else who is struggling with substance abuse or mental health issues to seek help. That could be through meetings, like I did, or some sort of rehab center program (outpatient, inpatient, intensive outpatient, etc.). You will be glad you got support when getting sober and into a recovering lifestyle. 

Use These Stories of Recovery Get Into Recovery at Sylvia Brafman

Do you or someone you know have an addiction to alcohol or drugs? If so, whether your addictive lifestyle has been short-lived like Scott’s or years long like Carla’s, these stories of recovery can help you to get the treatment and help you need.  Did you learn a lot from these inspirational stories of recovery? If so, or even if you want more information regarding the recovery process, contact us today to get into recovery here at Sylvia Brafman.