I am a single mother of a 5 year old, very active, healthy boy and I am currently 3 1/2 years sober. I'm sure you can do the math and realize my child came first, then sobriety, and in those moments between finding out I was pregnant in the bathroom of a bar, to moving from FL to DE to move back in with my parents, to having a baby by myself, to surviving working from home with my son during COVID, to finally getting the courage to quit drinking, there is a story of hope, grace, redemption, and bravery. There is also a story of strength I never knew I had. 

I currently work as a speech therapist in the my local school district. Although I love helping my students, I want to help moms like me even more and let them know it is okay to not be a part of mommy wine culture if it is no longer serving you or your children. I had a lot of "not yets". I never had a DUI, I never lost a job because of drinking, I was always able to pay my bills. But alcohol simply was not serving me or my life choices any longer. When I look back at how alcohol was effecting me, I realize I wasn't only a gray area drinker, I was an alcoholic. Women like me aren't commonly the face of alcoholism, but it is becoming more and more common. Women are taught wine is "self-care". In recovery, I had to learn was true self-care was, and in the midst of learning how to take care of my son, I also had to learn how to take care of myself, finally.  Through learning about setting boundaries, getting rid of calendar clutter, making sure I made time for rest, and not drinking one day at a time, I was able to show up as the mom I wanted to be.  

I went from a 35 year old alcoholic gypsy soul to a 40 year old single mother in recovery. And I want to share that story with others.