Regina’s Story

Recovery Triumph: Drugs, Alcohol, and Cigarettes

I am a person in long-term recovery. I no longer introduce myself as a cocaine addict or an alcoholic or someone who takes antidepressants. I have truly recovered from a hopeless state of mind.

I was introduced to drinking at an early age, but with drugs and cigarettes, I was a late bloomer. Being able to order a drink in a nightclub was a rite of passage. Once I graduated from high school, my next rite of passage was leaving home and moving into a place of my own. Soon my nightlife–my drinking and drugging–got the best of me.

After a failed marriage, a move back home, and a futile attempt at sobriety in a residential treatment facility, I was introduced to a twelve-step program. There I obtained the principles that would shape my life for the better. That was April 1986, and for the first ten years of my sobriety I can honestly say I was just clean and sober. But my recovery has been about making some changes in my thinking, which has led to changes in my feelings and behavior. For me, recovery means change. I didn’t realize this at first, but after a second failed marriage, a bunch of bad decisions, and one drama after another, I decided something’s gotta give. It was then that I decided to do something different–to change.

So here I am at age 53. I’ve been married now for 13 years to a great man (three’s the charm). I have 25 years free of drugs and alcohol, seven years free of tobacco, and a relationship with God, my Higher Power. If it had not been for the twelve-step programs introducing me to a power greater than myself, I would not be here and content today. For those of you entering into recovery, remember: your future will be greater than your past and the best is yet to come. Recovery is possible!

—Regina H.