Name: Samantha C.

Sobriety date: 8/30/2012

From: Tennessee

I had my first drink at like 9, but did not start hard Drinking till around 19.

My rock bottom was 2009/10-ish, about a few years before I got Sober. I cut my arms up very badly. I started to go to therapy then, but was still not willing to look at my drinking.

I got sober after a two-week bender. Things were going pretty well but I was still crying myself to sleep every night. I Realized one night that I had nothing to blame my sadness on and that I only felt this way when I was drinking. I also realized I was turning into my father (who died in his 50s from the disease). I had promised myself I would not follow in his footsteps, yet here I was.

That night was August 29. The next day I went to therapy and decided to get sober. I would say to people who are struggling with addiction today that there’s a whole other life waiting for you, that no matter how bad you think it is there’s always someone who’s had it even worse and was able to get sober.