Real Stories, Real People Testimonials

In one life I was the good student and boyfriend turned fiancé, and in the other I was the unfaithful drunk pothead. When she would catch me getting high, she would be irate and I would promise to abstain, only to use as soon as I dropped her off at her parents’ house. When we were finally married, sobriety success stories she gradually accepted my use of marijuana and alcohol as normal, even participating at times. Soon we found couples who had the same interest. There were many times after getting together with another couple that I drove home in a blackout. I am the third of four sons, each about two years apart.

At that point in her life, now going through a divorce and away from her kids, rehab meant a painful detox, but they’d medicate her. She’d survive, she could get a break, and hopefully, she would then be able to reach the previous toxic effects of her earlier alcohol use once again.

Reasons to Quit Drinking & Embrace Your Health

That was extremely public and heartbreaking, and right when that was going on, my mom died,” he told Attitude magazine. Haynes revealed that he hit rock bottom when he locked himself in a hotel room during a seven-day bender and “ended up in psych hold.” He completed a four-month treatment program soon after. After Dax’s public display in 2004, he sought professional help at a drug and alcohol rehab clinic. Some years later, Dax opened up about his substance abuse and recovery, saying he started drinking in excess and using drugs, including cocaine, when he was 18. RDJ was rising to fame and so was the height of his addiction.

This false characterization is perpetuated by mainstream media, so no wonder it’s so pervasive. There is a stereotype for what someone with an “alcohol problem” looks like. I’m sure we all have the picture in our head – the older woman with 5 DUIs whose drinking tore her family apart or the man under the bridge drinking from a bottle hidden with a brown paper bag. Brené Brown said that her sobriety is her superpower and I feel the same way about mine. Sobriety has allowed me to become the woman I have always wanted to be, but couldn’t because of alcohol and everything that it masked. Sam R got himself into big trouble nearly at the expense of an innocent person’s life.

“I Do Not Belong Here”

Our properties are located throughout Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, and Sarasota County). I honestly wouldn’t consider this residency a halfway house.

Rob believes in the power of recovery, sobriety, and therapy, often saying he enjoyed his 12-step recovery process. But he admits that a person must want to get help. Today, with three decades of sobriety under his belt, Rob continues to be an advocate for addiction recovery, especially for his son who recently struggled with his own addiction. Two months later, Jamie attended her first recovery meeting. That was the start of a 20-year journey of sobriety.

Alcohol is a Tool of Systemic Oppression

Meanwhile, I met a girl from back home with whom I began a relationship during the summer between my freshman and sophomore years. She was being raised in an old world male-dominated society.

Within a week I was able to find another room with three sophomore roommates who were just like me. Within a short period of time, harassing the fourth roommate with obnoxious merriment, I was able to convince that non-partying roommate to swap rooms. I structured my class schedule so as to not interfere with my alcohol and drug use, incorporating a large break between morning and late afternoon classes in which I could get all my studying done. I again excelled in school, graduating with a 4.0 GPA and several individual honors. I had completed all except two course credits for my degree within three years and spent my final year engaged in analytical chemistry research for the last two credits.

‘I awoke after another blackout binge-drinking night and realized that I’d written a suicide letter’

RDJ’s career began to take off again, and he rose to stardom in 2008 after starring in Iron Man and Tropic Thunder. He has since become one of the most noteworthy celebrities in film, and his 16 years of sobriety after such a hard fall make his comeback story one of the most impressive in Hollywood. This place has been an amazing experience for me. The owners and staff care about the residents and help them learn how to live a positive and productive life. After countless relapses I made the decision to come to Real Recovery Tampa and the accountability and friends I’ve made while living here has made all the difference. This place is newly renovated and the living conditions are fantastic. Getting involved in a 12 step program and attending meetings on a regular basis has helped me grow to be a better person.

• The therapeutic journey of confronting the adverse childhood experiences that permeated his daily life helped him to reduce their significance in his mind.
• Demi Lovato, who first entered rehab for drug and alcohol addiction in 2010, has used their experience to help others who may be struggling with similar problems.
• “I wish I had some story to tell you about my horrible, abusive, and neglected childhood.
• Or telling me that they’ve had family members who have died from this or are struggling, and when they see me succeeding with it, it gives them hope that their family member or friend can succeed.
• At three years of sobriety, I buried my best friend in the world.

I got to school the next day and confided in a girl as to what I had done the day before and she told the school. I was called into the counselor’s office and I lied to them about the drinking. I said that she was a liar, and they believed me. I remember my dad drinking almost every day.

Many times when we see posts about sobriety, it’s always famous people or before-and-afters of people being a mess and then cleaning up their lives. It’s not like, hey, these are real people and they just do it every day.