One of the main tenets of recovery, whether you attend AA or a residential treatment center, is service to others. The theory is that by helping others, we also help ourselves, especially when it comes to people who are still mired in their own rock bottom struggles. It also allows us to give back to the recovery community that’s given us so much help along the way. Of course, all of this takes time; jumping directly into a life of service in the first few weeks of sobriety can often be too much.
If you’ve recently decided to get sober, it’s very likely that you’re experiencing a wide range of emotions about doing so. The prospect of spending the rest of your life without your drug of choice can seem daunting (that’s why we advocate taking one day at a time). So, too, can relapse and setbacks seem like you’ll never recover again. Fortunately, this is mostly negative internal dialogue; there’s so much hope for you, regardless of where you’re starting.
Learning from the success stories of others who have gone before us is one of the best ways to remember that recovery from addiction is not only possible, but is also so rewarding too. Here, you’ll discover important lessons learned by three individuals, a life coach, a celebrity, and a medical professional, each of whom has much to teach you about the journey to recovery.
Alison Cebulla
Looking at life coach Alison Cebulla today, you’d never know that she was once mired in the depths of a methamphetamine addiction. She’s polished, poised, and driven to succeed, but she has had her own share of struggles, too. Alison details her story on Will Powered, painting a picture of how the daily ritual of using once sucked her in and almost claimed her life.
“The whole process was a ritual: getting the drugs, getting a friend or group together at someone’s home, taking the drugs out, doing the drugs, etc. Then the drugs themselves would facilitate talking, stimulating endorphins that would keep us chatting all night until the sun came up.”
Her story is also a strong reminder of how casual use can insidiously turn into more serious, long-term addiction. Alison didn’t use once and instantly get hooked. She was a weekend warrior like many of us are in the beginning, using to remove the awkward and uncomfortable feelings experienced with socialization. But just as it often is with other addicts, she, too, eventually found herself using more and more often.
So what was Alison’s tipping point? Her sign came in the form of a card from her mother, who reminded her that she was loved and cherished by her family. She sought help through her university’s health clinic and committed herself to a program that helped her heal.
Learning from Alison’s Story
Today, Alison gives back to the community in many ways. She is an outspoken supporter of better nutrition, self-love, and intuition. What we can learn from Alison is that dedication to sobriety and a willingness to ask for help is really what leads to success for us, even when we’re in our darkest hour. That commitment to the recovery community, be it in asking and accepting help or in helping others yourself, is one of the most crucial facets of recovery in general.
David Loeffert
To those who don’t know better, David Loeffert may seem like an unlikely candidate for addiction. After all, he didn’t become an addict until later in life. Before David even began experimenting with substances, he had achieved relative success by completing a Bachelor of Science, a Masters in Health Sciences, and a Ph.D in Respiratory Medicine. By 27, his innovative work was published in the well-respected Chest medical journal; an additional 57 published papers afforded him great respect all around the world in his field.
Unfortunately, David’s success wasn’t enough to protect himself from the perils of addiction. After being prescribed medication (painkillers and other controlled substances) in medical school by an unscrupulous physician who later lost his prescribing license, he found himself severely addicted to multiple medications. Despite the fact that David recognized and understood addiction particularly well, being in the medical profession himself, he rationalized his use, much as all of us do before we hit rock bottom.
Many of us need multiple rock bottoms before we finally get it, and David was no exception. Even after being arrested for forging a prescription in front of his colleagues, he continued to doctor shop and take his drugs of choice. As word of his addiction grew, he was alienated from his colleagues and work more and more often, until eventually he became homeless and had nothing left. David tried rehab but repeatedly failed after he returned to everyday life.
What eventually turned David’s story around was deciding to enter a 1-year treatment program. The residential facility he chose removed him from his life long-term, thereby divorcing him from habitual patterns completely. Once removed, he was able to focus on treating his addiction holistically. As David slowly healed his emotional, physical, and spiritual struggles, he was able to leave substances behind, but not without continuous recovery work.
Learning from David’s Story
So what can we learn from David’s story? The biggest lesson here is in the fact that, for the vast majority of us, healing from our addictions means being willing to let go of our old lives altogether and focusing on our programs full-time. For some, that means moving away from a hometown and never coming back (save for the occasional visit). For others, that’s long-term sober living facilities or rehabilitation centers. It’s an allegory of the fact that recovery isn’t something that can be half-done here and there – it’s a permanent lifestyle change.
Carrie Fisher
It might seem strange to include Carrie Fisher in an article about recovery successes, especially given her untimely death in 2016. But truthfully, Carrie is an excellent example because of her willingness to be public and outspoken about her struggles, especially with regard to dual diagnosis. Like many other addicts, her struggles with addiction began early on with trauma and mental illness. Coupled with the pressures of being a leading lady in one of the most popular film series at the time, “Star Wars,” it was a recipe for disaster. At just 13, Fisher was already experimenting with marijuana. A couple of years later, she had moved on to LSD. By 21, she found herself right in the center of a severe cocaine addiction.
In an Australian news article, Carrie mentions that for her, it wasn’t even so much that she liked the drugs. Instead, it was more about the escape from life in general that pulled her in.
“I didn’t even like coke that much, it was just a case of getting on whatever train I needed to take to get high.”
Carrie continued to use as the years passed by, slipping more and more from public view. Despite being one of the most popular actresses of her time, fewer and fewer producers would hire her. Rumors circulated that her drug use was the cause, though she refuted it at many points when asked. A marriage to Paul Simon in the early 1980s worsened the problem; Fisher would desperately use in an attempt to keep up with her husband professionally. A short time later, she was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.
It wasn’t until the unfortunate and untimely death of her friend, R. Gregory Stevens, from drug use that Carrie really dedicated herself to sobriety. Though she wasn’t responsible – Stevens himself had an extensive history of drug use, and had died of drug-related health problems – she blamed herself for being unable to save him.
After Stevens’ death, she focused on healing. Her gift to the community came in the form of a book titled, “Postcards From the Edge.” This remarkably funny, often bare and vulnerable fictional story detailed the story of a woman who struggles to understand why people believe in God while undergoing rehab herself. Though it is fiction, Carrie herself has said that the story is (at least in part) inspired by her own struggles with addiction.
Later books, including Wishful Drinking, Delusions of Grandma, Shockaholic, and Surrender the Pink all contained snippets of her story. In this way, Carrie laid bare her struggles and made many people – actresses and everyday people alike – feel a little bit less alone in their struggle.
Learning from Carrie’s Story
Carrie Fisher’s story is a shining example of how mental health and addiction struggles can touch anyone, regardless of financial status, class, profession, or importance. Whether you’re a doctor or someone who doesn’t work at all, it is all too easy to slip into self-medicating stress and mental health problems with substances.
Carrie advocated lessening the stigma surrounding both mental health and addiction. She taught us that there is no shame in admitting that you have a problem or seeking help. Her story is also a tremendous example of how outward appearances can be deceiving; even if we’re pretending we’re okay, it doesn’t make it true. Asking for help and allowing others in is the best way to heal.
These are just three of the many success stories we can draw inspiration from in recovery. Others, like Johnny Cash, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kelly Osbourne, Drew Barrymore, and even the grandfather of modern psychology, Sigmund Freud, all struggled with substances at one point or another. Stories of success, most importantly, teach us that we are not alone and that there are many others out there just waiting to support us in our efforts if we only take the chance and reach out.