Our Couples in Recovery Story

by | Mar 17, 2019 | BRAIN HEALTH | 0 comments

Hello everyone!  Some of you know and others do not know that my husband Steve is a professional Recovery Coach and Addiction Interventionist.  He has been in recovery from alcohol for almost 27 years now. I thought it was time to introduce him to the world and for you to get to know my better half.  I say that because he has overcome so much in his sobriety.  He has a good heart and has been my biggest fan and supporter.  I have invited him on my podcast.  Feel free to CLICK HERE to listen in.  This blog is for anyone in recovery, wanting recovery or who has a spouse or loved one in recovery.  There is hope.

My husband Steve’s Story…

It is probably a good idea to let you in on how I got here in the first place.  My story is not unlike other recovery stories.  It was about 27 years ago when I had my own intervention that lead me into sobriety.  I was a new dad had a good full time job and drank myself to sleep every night.  To this day not even my family knew how bad things had gotten.  This went on for quite a while until my then wife literally got sick of me and kicked me out.  I found myself kicked out of my own home, living in a disgusting hotel room and not being able to see or take care of my toddler daughter.  I knew I was in a bad place when I contemplated suicide.  I had a choice to make.  I could choose alcohol or I could choose to recover my life.

My first marriage had been a disaster for a while, so divorce wasn’t necessarily a surprise to me.  But, I had no idea how depressed I was about to become not being able to spend time with my daughter.

The choice became an easy one, I chose sobriety…after some thought and some starting and stopping, I chose my life.  I was about 3 months into my newly found sober life when I met my the love of my life, Teralyn.  Fast forward and here we are 26 years later with 3 grown kids and a passion for helping others.

There are millions of Americans whose lives have been transformed through recovery, I’m proof of that.  Since these successes often go unnoticed by the broader population, we need to be more in tune with those in recovery. As someone in recovery it is important to speak about the gains made while in recovery and to share successes with neighbors, friends, and colleagues.  . In doing so, everyone helps to increase awareness and furthers a greater understanding of the diseases of mental and substance use disorders.
The New York Times recently reported “Bleak New Estimates in Drug Epidemic” stating that there were a record number of drug overdose death in 2017, reflecting a staggering 10 percent increase.
Drug overdoses killed about 72,000 Americans last year, according to new preliminary estimates from the Centers for Disease Control. The death toll is higher than the peak yearly death totals from H.I.V., car crashes or gun deaths.
We hope to promote the message that recovery in all of its forms is possible because 200 people dying every day is just unbelievable, we want to help in any way we can.
Analysts pointed to two major reasons for the increase: A growing number of Americans are using opioids, and drugs are becoming more deadly. It is the second factor that most likely explains the bulk of the increased number of overdoses last year.
I agree, the opioid crisis is super sad. But, we also shouldn’t forget about the nearly 90,000 people who die from alcohol-related illnesses or accidents every year either.  We are trying to help expand and improve the availability of effective prevention, treatment, and recovery services for those in need. The help is there, but sometimes those who need it just don’t know where to look.

addiction interventionistIf you or someone that you know is struggling in addiction or could use some help to sustain recovery, I would love to help.

CLICK HERE to go to my website

 

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