I need to share some great news

My sister was a “problem drinker” since she was 15 or 16. By the time she was in her 20s she was a functioning alcoholic, but we didn’t realise at the time. She was violent (especially with my mum and me), constantly in debt, getting fired for being unreliable. She calmed down when she got pregnant, but the stress of a difficult marriage, small child and a job meant that she started drinking again. Her husband left and she lost another job.

She started counselling and admitted that she had a drinking problem, but then she got complacent, went for a drink after work and was caught drunk driving. She was so drunk she had to stay in the police station overnight. It was awful. Luckily her ex mother in law had her son.

She lost her driving license and because of that lost her job. This seems to have been the one thing that got through to her. She went back to AA, found a group that worked for her and did the 12 steps over the next few years.

She is now 10 years sober. She’s also acting as a sponsor for others in recovery. I’m so proud of her. Her son is an amazing 16 year old and is at college. It’s incredible to me; I was so scared that she was going to die before she was 50.