It will be 13 years on November 25th, 2026 since I took my last sip of alcohol. I use to call it my "sober birthday", but now I call it my "recovery date". Why is that? Because recovery is not so liner as I thought it would be. It's more of a "two steps forward one step back" kind of thing. And when you're just trying to find a way to get through the day, you have other options other than just abstinence.

You see, I grew up in a small mining town 30 min west of Denver, Idaho Springs. Because most of my friend's parents worked at the mine, we were bombarded with trauma since day one. The fear of our parents dying, substance use disorder, physical/verbal abuse, you name it, we had it. Going into my junior year of high school my parents split and the community lost a local legend in a crash, someone whom I truly looked up to. I didn't know how to deal with those feelings, nor did I have anyone to talk to, therefore I had my first beer at the age of 15 years old.

It was fun and very numbing at first, until it wasn't. I thought being a weekend warrior, where you just party on the weekends, kept me true. I didn't have problems with alcohol, I just drank on the weekends, right? But I was completely wrong. Four DUI's later and too much time in jail; I knew a change had to happen. It was time to start putting the work in to discover WHY I drank like that.

After realizing how expensive rehabs were at the time and AA meetings (even though I highly respect them) were not my cup of tea, I decided to build my own Outpatient Recovery Program. After a whole year of holistic healing, I was able to come to peace with my inner demons and trauma from my past. I was able to put the bottle away for good.

This is what I love about Advocates for Recovery Colorado; it's such a beautiful nonprofit that believes in many ways to recovery. Once I heard they were looking for a Peer Recovery Coach in my hometown, I jumped all over it. I'm very thankful and blessed for where I'm at in life today and none of it would have happened if I didn't start my recovery 13 years ago.

Much Love