Giving Thanks for Recovery

Community Stories of Hope & Healing |  SHE RECOVERS® Foundation

As a Director of a Fortune 500 Company, I felt like I would rather die than get help for my drinking. I really feared that my career would be over if I sought the help I needed. Instead, as a result of connecting with and receiving support from the SHE RECOVERS® community, everything in my life has improved significantly. Now, it’s my turn to give back to this lifeline organization. 

I started drinking heavily in my mid 40s and by the time I hit 50 my drinking was out of control. One day, at the height of my drinking, fueled by feelings of shame and unworthiness, I drank 3/4 of a bottle of wine and some champagne before blacking out. I went outside, got into my car, drove it into the garage, and shut the door. With the car still running, I opened the sunroof and car doors. I’m not sure what was going through my mind other than shame, despair, not knowing how to cope or who to turn to. To this day, I don’t recall pushing my car’s OnStar button. OnStar knew something was wrong and called the police who quickly came to my aid and brought me to the hospital. It’s remarkable that I am still alive today. This all occurred just a few days before I was scheduled to attend my first SHE RECOVERS® Retreat. 

At the height of my drinking, something told me that this community of SHE RECOVERS sisters was the answer. Now it’s the cornerstone of my recovery.

While I’d become acquainted with the SHE RECOVERS online community, I knew I needed to do whatever it took to show up at an in-person event. While in the hospital I expressed to my psychiatrist how strongly I felt that healing was waiting for me at the retreat that I’d longed to attend. I explained to him that I hadn’t intended to kill myself, that I had an alcohol problem that regularly caused me to black out and do things that I would not otherwise do. I told him that I needed recovery – that my life depended on it, and I knew I would find connection to recovery on that retreat. He believed me and released me from the hospital. I made it to the retreat.

Before SHE RECOVERS I never felt like I belonged. I have no idea what drew me to this community, but I like to say it was my higher power.

The retreat was amazing. Since that first one several years ago, I’ve attended as many in-person retreats as I could, and since March 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic, I now attend SHE RECOVERS Together Online Gatherings regularly. I feel empowered and reignited to keep moving forward on my journey. I have not been perfect. However, I have come to learn through SHE RECOVERS that we all heal in different ways, on different paths, in different times. I am making incredible progress, each and every day.

Throughout my entire life I have walked with a sense of self-hatred and never feeling “good enough.”

My drinking was in large part due to unresolved trauma from my early life. Alcohol provided a way to navigate and cope with my feelings before I crossed the invisible line into addiction. As painful as this journey has been, I believe it happened for a reason and because it led me into recovery, I accept it. I am eternally grateful to have found people I can relate to, be supported by, and also support in return. I finally feel like I belong somewhere in the SHE RECOVERS community, and that I am loved.

 There have also been so many victories and opportunities for celebration in my recovery.

I am now a SHE RECOVERS® Foundation Volunteer. Since becoming a part of the SHE RECOVERS community every area of my life has significantly improved. I have a stronger connection with my family and other relationships – especially with my children. There are no more secrets. I am more productive and kinder at work. My memory has improved, and I have gotten my act together financially. My self-care game is also strong! I practice yoga, attend fellowship meetings, and participate in SHE RECOVERS Together Online Gatherings.

This holiday season I give great thanks for my recovery and the ability to give back to this lifeline organization. I hope you will join me as a Founding Investor to pass on the gift of recovery to other women all over the world.

To ensure all recovering women have access to our life-line organization we welcome you to consider becoming a Founding Investor before this unusual and uncertain year ends. 

We have created different levels of support starting at just $5 USD. We ask that you seriously consider investing in the giving level that is most meaningful to you and your loved ones. Any amount will be deeply appreciated by us and the women we serve. 

As a Founding Investor you and your contribution can be included in our online Portfolio of Hope [ Launching early 2021 ] and featured in the first SHE RECOVERS® Foundation Annual Report – documenting a moment in herstory when this global life-saving movement first began.  

You can give the gift of recovery to women all over the world. Click here to become a Founding Investor today.