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Road to Recovery 3 Stories of Sobriety by TARA MENDANHA
Addiction takes on many different forms and to surmount it takes a lot of fortitude and strength. We’re proud to feature a few locals who’ve weathered their own storms to ultimately find peace, purpose, and positivity in their lives.
WHAT HOPES AND DREAMS DO YOU HAVE FOR THE FUTURE?
Honestly, my sobriety is very important to me. I make good decisions when I am of sober mind and body. So, my hopes and dreams for today and every day consist of staying sober one more day. If I do that, then the sky is the limit. DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR SOMEONE
K
elle grew up in a “normal” family with a younger sister and parents who’ve been married for 42 years. Life was good until she turned 16. That’s when Kelle made a foreign exchange trip to England and was introduced to alcohol. “I loved the way it made me feel,” she recalls. “When I returned to the states, I was outraged that the legal drinking age here was 21. In another country's eyes I was responsible enough to drink but in my own country I wasn't,” she says. After a sexual assault in high school, Kelle’s drinking pattern quickly escalated in college and she drank to forget her trauma. “Obviously, that isn't a healthy way to deal with your emotions and I know that now,” she says. Kelle drank till she was 35 at which point an interaction with a relative made her realize she was being Dr. Jekyll and Ms. hiding-her-problems. “I could tell I was causing them pain,” she says. “They helped me realize what I had become, and I was deeply ashamed of that person. The next day I took myself to my first AA meeting and my path to recovery began.” That pivotal day was April 17, 2017.
Kelle Collier
40, Event Planner
Photo of Kelle Collier by Taylor Gillespie. Amanda Sheeren photo by Amy Thompson Photography.
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| NOVEMBER 2021 |
HOW HAS YOUR LIFE CHANGED SINCE?
My life is fantastic now! I’ve mended many broken relationships, was given tools to work through and process my emotions, and have looked deeper at my own personal flaws and character defects. Every day isn’t a cake walk but that is life. It's how you deal with it. I know now that drugs and alcohol aren’t the solution for me but a rabbit hole of self-destruction.
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FACING SIMILAR STRUGGLES?
You are NOT ALONE! There are so many people who silently struggle on their own and die before ever really giving themselves a chance to flourish at life. Reach out for help. Whatever program of recovery you choose is a better program than the one you’re running for yourself right now.
Amanda Sheeren 36, Freelance Writer & Illustrator
W
orried that the addictive tendencies that plagued her family would affect her, Amanda abstained from drinking through high school.
