‘Face It TOGETHER has helped me in a way I can never repay’
Published Feb. 24, 2022
John (pseudonym) works as a risk manager in South Dakota. He started coaching in 2019 and still keeps in touch with his coach today, three years into sobriety. Here’s his story, in his own words.
My journey to sobriety, like all other personal stories of addiction, is unique. I didn’t drink every day and would sometimes go for months without alcohol. But whenever I would start drinking again – with the purest of intentions to do so in moderation – I would inevitably drink in excess. This pattern of intermittent alcohol use and abuse lulled me into a false sense that I was not like other people with addiction. My pattern allowed me to conveniently forget how horrible I felt when I drank heavily, including the cycle of hangovers and withdrawal that I experienced nearly every time I drank.
More than three years ago, I reached a point where I was tired of fooling myself and also causing great concern to my very patient wife. By the time I decided to seek help for my addiction, I had already quit drinking again, but this time I wanted this unhealthy cycle to end once and for all.
I reached out to rehab centers who would've required me to check myself in for in-patient treatment, which wasn't the right choice for me. After several calls to various counseling and rehab centers in the region, I received a return call from someone at Face It TOGETHER. Even from that first call, I could tell the person on the other end of the phone understood my struggle. I set up an appointment with Joe, my now long-term coach, and spent the next month getting to the core of my addictive behavior.
When I reflect on how coaching helped my sobriety, I remember being surprised by the empowering language that was used. Peer coaching lacked the helplessness I've experienced in other support group meetings. Additionally, I have a somewhat hazardous job that requires a significant amount of situational awareness. I previously used alcohol to quiet the mind at the end of the work day. Joe encouraged me to channel my racing mind in more productive and healthy ways.
As of Dec. 22, 2021, I have been three years without a single drink. There has been no temptation to return to may past destructive behavior because Joe provided me with the tools to fully understand my triggers, past behaviors and thought patterns that led me to pick up the bottle. Although I don’t attend coaching sessions weekly anymore, I still visit with Joe on a regular basis as a means of cementing my resolve to remain free from my addiction. I would equate it to bringing a vehicle in for regular maintenance before something has a chance to malfunction. Joe and Face It TOGETHER have helped me in a way I can never repay.