Alisha C. – Sober 12 Years

Alisha's story will resonate with those who have battled not only alcoholism and drug addiction, but mental health issues as well. The product of a broken home in which addiction was rife, the chaos of her upbringing resulted in an early suicide attempt at age 12. With ever-increasing alcohol and drug use, she staggered through her troubled teenage years, into her early 20’s during which time she married and had a child. But the substance abuse soon prevailed over Alisha’s mostly unhappy marriage, and she found herself divorced and rapidly spinning out of control. A period of escalating self-destruction ensued with 3 DWI’s, including a body-shattering crash which left her with brain injury and plenty of trouble with the law. Jail time, legal troubles, and a stark inability to stop drinking and using accelerated Alisha’s downhill slide. Stints in treatment, both inpatient and outpatient, were attempted which included some AA meetings at the time. But little impact was achieved, and she quickly found herself using again, in some cases with other former patients of the treatment center. With her bottom looming and despair at-hand, Alisha finally surrendered to a comprehensive program that addressed both her substance abuse and her mental health issues. She emerged months later and dove into an AA Program that has helped sustain her sobriety for the past 12 years. To say that AA changed Alisha’s life would be an understatement. Since her sobriety date she has worked a Program that includes lots of service work and sponsorship. She has faced major upheavals along the way that severely tested her resolve to stay AA, but she survived them by staying firmly tethered to the center of the Program. Along the way, she has turned her challenges into triumphs, including a successful career change and a renewed relationship with her daughter. Listen closely to Alisha’s story and you may find that with which you identify, especially with regard to co-occurring mental health issues. As with all the interviews on my show, Alisha’s story is one that needs to be heard by both active and recovered alcoholics, and certainly by those that love them. So, I invite you to tune-up and tune-in for the next 60 minutes to this episode of AA Recovery Interviews with my friend and AA sister, Alisha C. Visit the AA Recovery Interviews website for more information and to contact me, Howard L. Check out Howard’s Big Book Podcast, the complete unabridged audio version of the First and Second Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Big Book Podcast is an engaging cover-to-cover, word-for-word reading of all 11 chapters and Personal Stories, many of which were left out of the Third and Fourth Editions. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Or listen on https://bigbookpodcast.com To contact Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, visit aa.org. [Disclaimer: In strict adherence to A.A.’s traditions, my anonymous guests and I speak for ourselves only, not for Alcoholics Anonymous at large. We share only our personal experiences with A.A. recovery. We acknowledge that AA’s sole concern is the recovery and continued sobriety of those alcoholics who turn to the Fellowship for help. As members of AA, our primary purpose is to stay sober and to help other alcoholics achieve sobriety. – Howard L.]