Sobriety Story
A Decade Sober
I’ve been sober for over ten years, and not a day goes by that I take it for granted. Recovery has taught me how to sit with pain, reconnect with purpose, and show up for life with both feet on the ground. Most of all, it’s taught me how to actually feel—emotions in their rawest form—without reaching for a bottle to numb them. Sobriety has shaped every part of who I am. This is what a decade of recovery taught me.
In addition to my sobriety, I’ve lost over 100lbs along the way, proving to myself that transformation is possible, no matter how deep the hole may seem. I have a beautiful family, with Van and our two daughters, and a career I am extremely passionate about. I’m grateful for the person I’ve become and the person I continue to grow into every day.
Sobriety didn’t arrive as a breakthrough. It arrived as a decision to stay. To stop running. To give myself enough time and honesty to see what was actually possible in this life. That decision changed everything that came after.
Sobriety is not a breakthrough moment. It is a series of small, often uncomfortable decisions made repeatedly, especially on the days when motivation is low and certainty is absent. When drinking stops, the work begins. There is no quick replacement for what alcohol once provided. Staying present, facing what was avoided, and learning how to move through discomfort without escape become daily practice. This process rarely feels linear. Some days feel steady, others feel heavy. Progress is not measured by dramatic shifts, but by the quiet accumulation of better choices. Learning how to sit with emotions, tolerate uncertainty, and respond rather than react takes time. It requires patience, honesty, and a willingness to remain engaged even when the impulse to check out is strong. Real change does not come from urgency or intensity. It comes from consistency. One day at a time is not a cliché or a motivational slogan. It is the pace required to rebuild trust with yourself, to create stability where there was once chaos, and to allow meaningful change to take hold slowly but lastingly.
