I’m Seriously Sober (2026)

28/03/2026

All I ever wanted in life was to be a good mom.

In active addiction, I always showed up - classroom volunteer, sports practice, homework time - I was always physically there. But mentally and emotionally, I was distant because my life was dictated by my next drink. My thoughts were consumed by when I’d get that next sip of alcohol. I felt guilty for not being totally present for my son, but alcohol made that guilt disappear.

Once my drinking became too unmanageable, I left for treatment. 3 times in 12 months. I couldn’t be a good mom when my focus was on addressing my alcoholism and trying to heal the pain the caused my drinking. I felt so guilty for not being present for my son. I didn’t have alcohol to numb that pain. So instead I put all my energy into my recovery, I owed it to myself and my son.

Now in sobriety, I get to be the best version of myself, which means I’m the good mom I always envisioned. I am a positive role model for my son as I am demonstrating an honest life based on being kind and helping others. I am showing him that drinking isn’t a way of life and there is more to the world than a bottle of booze.

I know there are alot of us out there living our best sober lives. We are the parents that our kids can depend on and look up to and try to emulate.

I’m proud of us - our journeys have not been easy and we made the necessary changes for ourselves and ultimately our kids too.

We are the warriors that are changing lives - how inspiring!

26/03/2026

The best part of recovery is that we are never alone.

There’s always someone who can hear your story and totally relate. That’s the beauty about recovery - you find others who share your pain, your experience, your struggle.

Everyone is recovering from something....trauma, death, addiction, relationships, the list goes on and on. It gets messy and complicated and often really difficult.

The amazing thing is that this crazy world is filled with beautiful souls who rise each day with the intention of being a bit stronger and healthier than the day before.

Find your tribe. Find your people. Let them in. Let them know what’s really going on. Your journey doesn’t have to be a solo act. Recover with the love and support of others and always know you are never ever alone.

22/03/2026

Real change in recovery stems from internal desire to live differently.

If driven by external factors, such as legal issues, family problems, employer pressure or financial distress, often times your drinking or use will return. These can be good motivators to stop drinking/using and to begin your recovery.

However, at some point you’ve got to start wanting to be sober more than you’re wanting the next drink or drug. You have to dig deep and start addressing the hard stuff - the pain, the trauma, the unhappiness, the pressure - whatever it may be that drives your addiction.

For me, I started my recovery because my son deserved a better Mom. Once I started putting forth the effort in therapy and treatment, I realized I deserved a better me.

And it turns out, I love this new version of me! She was hidden under the heaviness of alcoholism for way too long. It was totally worth the battle against the bottle to find her again.

Change is so hard on so many levels. I’m just grateful I found the ability to love myself enough to change for the better!

Are you in need of a change?

21/03/2026

My addiction = a disease of MORE.

I could never have enough alcohol. I always wanted one MORE drink. I needed to buy one MORE bottle. I had to have one MORE swig before bed. I always craved MORE.

In active addiction, I thought I was worthy of nothing. While I had always been slightly insecure, everything changed as I progressed through adulthood. I felt so badly about myself - feelings of failure as I continuously had miscarriages, frustration over my inability to meet expectations that the world had placed on me, acceptance of not only codependency but mental and emotional abuse I tolerated and overall disgust as my so called perfect life was falling apart. And you know what made me feel better? What made all these ugly feelings go away? MORE alcohol.

I drowned myself in Captain Morgan instead of working through my problems. The alcohol compounded my issues but as long as I kept my secret addiction alive, I just kept drinking MORE.

Now as I’m living sober, MORE is still a concept I need to address. Instead of alcohol, it pops up in goals, happiness and love. I am always working towards another goal - whether it’s career driven or a project around the house - there’s always MORE to be done. I live my life based on happiness and doing the next right thing. It’s something I’m not used to but it’s amazing and I constantly want MORE. I have fallen in love with my husband, my family, my friends and I am always looking for MORE time together, MORE laughter, MORE genuine goodness.

I’ve learned that life is a balance when you’re in recovery. Just because I’ve put down the bottle doesn’t mean that attributes of my addiction don’t appear in other aspects of my life. I need to be mindful of MORE and work on accepting that where I’m at and what I’m doing in the moment is enough. MORE isn’t always the answer. Sometimes just being still and being me is okay. I’m still working on it. Progress not perfection, right?

19/03/2026

In my drinking days, I was anything but honest - both with myself and others.

Deep down I knew I had a problem and needed help, but I was too scared to make any changes. So, I stayed in my comfort zone, lied to myself about everything and continued to drink.

When I got into treatment, I had to get honest or I was destined to drink again. I had to be open about my feelings, my relationships, my self esteem, my drinking…everything I wasn’t ready to do. But I was told that it was the only way to live happily ever after and stay sober.

So I became vulnerable. And honest. And open. And willing. I bared everything to my counselors and sponsor. Everything I was holding on to in order to protect my addiction was fair game. And I didn’t hold back. The freedom and relief that came with this new ability to be honest was like nothing I’d ever experienced before.

Before I knew it, some of the guilt and shame lessened and I was walking around a bit lighter. It was instrumental in early recovery for me to share my past and be honest with myself. I am confident that I’d still be drinking if honesty wasn’t a key part of my recovery. It allowed me to find happiness in my life but more importantly, within me.

I know it might be hard, but take a look at yourself.

Be honest. Are you happy?

17/03/2026

Another holiday ☘️

Another excuse to drink ☘️

Who needs green beer, poor choices and another hangover ☘️

Not this girl ☘️

I’ll take dinner out with friends and coming home to snuggle with cute puppies in their shamrock ties from the groomer ☘️

Whatever you choose to do this festive night, be safe, be smart and be you ☘️

13/03/2026

Family is…

Some of us are blessed with a loving and supportive biological family who have seen us at our worst and never left our side.

Some of us have have found friends along the way that have become our family and we cannot imagine our lives without them.

Some of us have crossed paths with complete strangers who decided to love us until we were healthy enough and strong enough to love ourselves and they are our family.

Some of us have family that once was so important to us but as the years passed, we realized that perhaps they are more toxic and detrimental to our sanity than we recognized. We have hopefully set boundaries and/or cut ties with this kind of family.

The key is to know the difference - to know which family is good for us and which we need to let go.

The key is to find your true family. Find the ones who stand by you and support you…the ones that would drop anything to help you…the ones who want to see you shine…the ones who know you inside and out and love you no matter what…the ones that make you a better person…the ones who encourage you and believe in you…the ones that help you get through life and make you feel not so alone…the ones who know that you are stronger together!

Remember to tell these people how much you love them. Life is too short not to 💛

10/03/2026

What a journey…

2012 - After 7 years of not drinking, when life gets too hard, I decide alcohol seems like a good way to ease the pain. If my drinking becomes problematic, I tell myself that I’ll just quit. I’m miserable and need an outlet.

2014 - I’m drinking daily and doing everything in my power to hide my drinking from others. I know I have a problem but can’t see a way out. I drink to stop the pain but my drinking is causing more pain. The cycle is too strong. I need help.

2016 - 3 rehabs, a recovery house, two IOP programs and a divorce later, I’m counting days, months and then a year. I’m doing it - living sober.

2018 - 3 years sober and I pass my certification exam - officially a Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor. I’m working in a community based mental health program as a substance abuse specialist. Life is good.

2020 - 5 years sober and I obtain my license - officially a Licensed Professional Counselor. I’m still working in the field helping others on their journey to sobriety. I love my life.

2022 - 7 years sober and I’m speaking at rehabs, helping families find treatment for their loved ones, helping with interventions and writing this blog to spread a little hope to others. Wow, this is the life!

2026 - 11 years sober at the end of this year if I keep just doing the next night thing and don’t drink. I maintain my sobriety by helping others, sharing my story, seeing clients through their difficult times and living an honest and happy life. I couldn’t ask for more.

My life is messy and chaotic and beautiful and miraculous….its also nowhere near perfect. But I’ll take it because it’s mine and I’ve worked so very hard to get where I am. No going back now.

05/03/2026

I love when my memories remind me of how good my life is in sobriety.…from death’s door to certified and licensed to help others on their journey through addiction.
Life is good! 🌟

28/02/2026

Do you ever think about that...

What life would be like if you made different choices along the way? Like what if I took a different job, went to a different school, never met that one person?

I try not to analyze the past but I do often think about my future.

I know if I ever chose to drink again, my life would be totally different and I’d lose this beautiful life I’ve built for myself and my family. I know there’s not much in this world that I can control, but luckily, today I can control whether I pick up a drink or not.

I’m so grateful because I have the ability to choose not to drink for 24 hours. And I get the chance to get up tomorrow and decide again. This is something I was incapable of doing in active addiction. My mind was obsessed with and my body craved the next drink. At that point, the choice was gone because alcohol was necessary for survival.

Thank God I don’t have to live that way anymore. I took my power back when I chose recovery.

My choice today is to live sober.

22/02/2026

I recover out loud…like scream it from the rooftops loud. I am so proud of how far I’ve come…but I didn’t always feel that way.

When my family forced me into treatment the first two times, I was mortified. I saw my alcoholism as a weakness. I was ashamed that I let my drinking get so out of control. As a therapist, I wanted to therapitize (definitely not a real word) myself into sobriety. I didn’t want to let others in as I wasn’t ready to be completely honest. I was embarrassed about the pain, trauma and abuse I had endured that led to my alcoholism. I wanted to avoid others and isolate. I was ignoring the truth - that I was an alcoholic and that it was running and ruining my life.

Fast forward to my third and hopefully finally treatment center and everything changed. I embraced my addiction. I decided it wasn’t going to define me. It was going to be the foundation on which I created a brand new beautiful sober life.

I began becoming honest and opening up about all the ugliness that is my past and my alcoholism. I was willing to do whatever hard work was required to ensure another drink wasn’t in my future. I relied on others and their stories and experiences to guide me on my journey to recovery.

My addiction and ability to overcome it is my strength, my superpower.

And now, I’m so ridiculously proud of my addiction and path to sobriety. If I can survive my past, battle through my addiction and find happiness in my sobriety….I consider that one amazing feat.

It’s unreal to think how far I’ve come not only in my recovery, but also in life. It’s a big, beautiful, messy, imperfect, amazing and badass sober life that I wouldn’t change for anything!!

#

14/02/2026

In active addiction, it was difficult for me to love anything or anyone besides Captain Morgan, including myself. I’d go to any length to ensure that my next drink was waiting for me. I’d lie. I’d manipulate. I would never put you or anyone else first. I woke up thinking about my next drink and went to bed waiting for my next chance to drink. Alcohol was my love.

When I started my recovery, I was told that part of what I was missing in life was my ability to love - love you, love me, love anything. With time, I started to love and respect myself and others. When I take away the alcohol, my heart opens up and I am able to be present for you and myself. Love becomes natural and so very important in my sobriety.

So on this Valentine’s Day, I love the fact that I am able to love again. And my wish for you all on this day is that love shines brightly within.

Happy Valentine’s Day ❤️

I’m Seriously Sober