Briar

When I first found SR in March of 2013, I had woken up from one of my worst nights. My binging had gotten out of control, and my friend had dragged me home yet again. I drank heavily most nights of the week, just trying to survive life as new mom with a stressful job and an absent husband. I had undiagnosed bipolar disorder, and I had fallen into a deep depression. My drinking and my illness were weakening my bond with my young daughter. My life had begun to crumble, and I drank to blind myself. Believing I would eventually ruin my family, and hoping my daughter was too young to remember me, I began making arrangements to end my life.

Waking up one morning in searing pain and finally desperate enough to try to salvage myself, I looked on the internet for anything I could find on how to get sober. When I found SR, I finally felt I was part of something. I found fellow mothers trapped by the same paralyzing guilt and shame. The community was so supportive and understood exactly what I was going through.

I relapsed a few times after that, and I strayed from SR here and there, but I always came back. This is home base for me. These are my people.