03/01/2026
Recovery Story For March 🙏☺️
My name is Glenda C.
My Sobriety date is 10/07/2024 and I am an alcoholic! I grew up in Elyria O-H-I-O. I’m the middle child of 7 brothers and sisters. I was raised Catholic and had an uncle who was a priest and an aunt who was a nun. Every family gathering involved alcohol. I took my first drink at eight years old and stole Boones farm from our local corner store. We took it to the city pool and I continued drinking in the woods with the older kids in the neighborhood thinking it made me look cool. But as years passed my life revolved around sports - swimming, basketball, volleyball, and track. I entered high school in the late 70’s and by senior year my weekends involved drinking. After graduation, I moved to that state up north and at the age of 19 started attending Job Corp. I met my husband and gave birth to my daughter in 1984. I was living the domestic dream and working for the weekends.
My marriage ended in late 80’s so I left that state up north and moved back to O-H-I-O. In 1985 my parents purchased a bar and I helped out with the family business. Soon after I had met my son’s father and gave birth to my son in 1992. When my son was 10 months old we moved to Atlanta, Georgia which is where I was introduced to another form of alcohol. Very quickly I lost everything I loved - our home, our cars, our jobs, and all of our cherished belongings. I sent my 10 year old daughter back to live with her father and by the next year we had nothing left. With 2 suitcases and our 3 year old son, we boarded a greyhound and headed back to Ohio. Although I was able to maintain a home and a job, I never put the bottle down. I went through a divorce in the late 90s. I then met my best friend in 2000, and we both loved sports and had a lot in common, and we both loved to drink. We enjoyed sporting events; Browns games, Cavs, Indians, Golf, and Hockey. Whether attending or watching from home – we always had alcohol. My partner’s health took a turn starting in 2017. He lost his life on April 9th 2022 to a heart attack. After losing my best friend, I drowned my sorrows in alcohol more than ever before. Again I lost my home, my car, and my job. I began to lose my will to live. I was living to drink. Which brings me to arriving to the Jean Marie House after detoxing in Lutheran Hospital for 4 days. On October 7th 2024, I surrendered to my alcoholism. This house and this program saved my life. It has given me back my close family and friends. My children have allowed me back into their lives and I am able to be a present grandmother to my 3 grandsons – Cillian, Abel, and Odin. Today I can be a dependable employee and am entrusted with the position of Resident Assistant at the house that saved my life – The Jean Marie House. Sobriety continues to bring new blessings to my life – One Day At A Time!
