If we’re friends on Facebook or Twitter, you’ll probably know that today is my 3rd sober birthday. It’s a special day to me and one day that I still can’t believe I’m sober this long! It’s a miracle!
So, 3 years and a day ago, I was talking to a friend or family member about my upcoming wisdom teeth surgery, saying how scared I was, and how I never want doctors to put me under, etc. Finally, after 15 years of being told I needed to get the wisdom teeth out, I scheduled the appointment for July 26th, 2010. The night before, I had a few vodka tonics with a BFF and said – “I think I’m going to stop drinking for a while”. Around that same time, I was meeting a bunch of super people that made sobriety look glamourous, I’ve paid the price of a hang over too many times, and I was unhappy.
The not-sober me was lost, jealous, mean, judgemental, unhappy, unclear, and unhealthy. I was dating (and hooking up with) every guy that was wrong for me. I got high off of drama and gossip. I spent so much money on partying, it was unreal. The time came where enough was enough. There was too many close calls of DUIs, friendship divorces, and unhealthy behavior.
Gabrielle Bernstein hooked me up with my first and only sponsor at a lecture in LA and 3 years later here I am. In the past few years, my life has changed. I feel beautiful on the inside and out, have a great job and supportive friends and coworkers, live in sunny San Diego, and I am in love for the first time with an amazing man. I never thought I would ever be this happy or that I deserved all of this.
If any of this is sounding familiar and you’re tinkering with the idea of stopping drinking, I’m here to help. I love assisting people. It helps me grow as a human being. There’s a lot more to tell on this story, so I’ll post more soon!
Happy B Day, as a friend of Bill W’s myself, I know the amazing change and liberation these three years have made on you, never forget it keeps getting better if you let it happen.
Best Always,
Jamie P