Personal Stories

A Recovery Story: Then Something Astonishing Happened

I was always able to get by on my brains and wits, so the drinking in high school and later in college wasn’t an obstacle to making it through.  Of course, I wasted my brains by doing as little as possible academically, had a good time, and finished college with “gentlemans.”  Looking back on it […]

Anxiety: “I Thought I Was Losing It”

It was like any other Monday morning. I got up and got in the shower and began planning the day ahead. After a few minutes I started feeling dizzy while I was shaving. My heart started racing, my breathing became short and erratic, and an unexplainable sense of fear overcame me. The anxiety seemed to […]

A Recovery Story: Drinking and Reality

Johnny Carson was once asked why he quit drinking and his response was, “I don’t drink well.”  This definition certainly fits me, although for many years I was able to drink quite well and alcohol was my solution not my problem.  In my late years of drinking, I managed to brighten up the whole room […]

A Recovery Story: What Happened and My Life Now

Following is the story of a North Carolina Bar member.  In the spirit of avoiding pride in recovery, it is provided to you anonymously.   While in my first year of law school my father passed away from hard living and booze. I was terribly angry with him at death too. Not only was there the hurt […]

A Recovery Story: An Honest Appraisal

The stories of fellow alcoholics are the fresh minted coins of survival. You pass yours to the next person in the hope he or she will see a gleam of their own life and find the treasure of recovery. This is the story of a woman PALS member offered anonymously in that tradition.  Call PALS […]