Recovery, in their own words

May Archives

Recovery stories from people whose sobriety date falls in May — real accounts shared to remind anyone still struggling that they are not alone.

Joaquin Navarro 39 5 / 10 / 2008
Age 39

Joaquin Navarro

Sober since

Full blown Junkie for 9 years. Went from coke to meth & just lost all control. Dabbled in heroin, crack & lots of pills before this pill epidemic.

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Tammy 42 5 / 21 / 2015
Age 42

Tammy

Sober since

I did not start drinking young and when I did start, I wasn't a problem drinker. However, over time I turned to alcohol more and more to deal with my life's issues, anxiety and depression. A...

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Tanya 51 5 / 19 / 1997
Age 51

Tanya

Sober since

I went to the PARTY at 16yrs old I never had my own everything. Bever knew what my life would become

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Michael DeNicola 33 5 / 14 / 2011
Age 33

Michael DeNicola

Sober since

Throughout college, I had always been a heavy drinker. I was "that guy" at parties, getting blackout drunk and doing the most asinine things. I had gone from being the life of the party, to...

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Ken DeCesare 28 5 / 26 / 2014
Age 28

Ken DeCesare

Sober since

I lost everyone I knew & everything I had. Went from business owner to broke as a joke. From living in a beachside condo to living out of a roadside motel.

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Sue K 53 5 / 26 / 1981
Age 53

Sue K

Sober since

The worst day of my addiction was not the time I got arrested. It wasn't the second time I got arrested. It wasn't even the time my best friend and I fought about my using. The worst day of...

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Taylor 28 5 / 10 / 2015
Age 28

Taylor

Sober since

Hard, painful and miserable on myself, but even worse for my now 5 year old son. He, unwillingly became my running partner. Brought him with me through the depths of it . Hid my double life...

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Kelly 46 5 / 24 / 2009
Age 46

Kelly

Sober since

It was lonely, with temporary happiness and a world full of shame, insecure about myself and what others thought of me, and grief. Uncertainty surrounding me all the time.

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Samuel M. 52 5 / 5 / 2012
Age 52

Samuel M.

Sober since

I had no job, I was penniless. I woke up each morning or afternoon, evenings shakes, and the only thing helped me feel better was another drink, and then the entire cycle would start over. I...

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Stephanie 33 5 / 15 / 2016
Age 33

Stephanie

Sober since

I had so much fun in the early days, but I started to rely on alcohol for comfort and to get away from feeling. I drank to be social. I used it to hide my loneliness, low self esteem, and ba...

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Donna 51 5 / 15 / 1996
Age 51

Donna

Sober since

My life was very unmanageable I lost my kids, jobs and family and friends due to my drinking.

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