by: Leslie Register
Double Shot of Sober: Story of Change, Growth and New Beginnings
was written to expose the pain and consequences of living with addiction and the rise out to freedom. This book is my personal journey, that I am sharing with readers, to give visibility to the struggle that one feels when they lack self-love, self-acceptance, and have an overwhelming need to people please which leads them to using substances, things, and activities to avoid dealing with real issues. In addition, it shows my rise out from the addictions to a new freedom that occurred by incorporating daily recovery habits that lead to significant changes. It is an opportunity to see the evidence of what God does when someone, like me, is willing to surrender to a new path. A path they have never traveled, but with a tiny ounce of faith and by listening, observing, and taking suggestions from those who are living a recovered life, they find their true calling. They also discover the tools needed to navigate daily life.
By telling my story, I hope those who are suffering from addiction will find comfort in knowing they are not alone and that if they want different, they can have it. If they are willing to do the work, the joy that will follow will take them places they never felt possible.
In recovery I learned the phrase, “don’t quit till the miracle happens”! The miracles began the first few days my body was free of alcohol, and I began to fall asleep and wake up vs. passing out and coming to. Then a few days later, my puffy cheeks and swollen eyes gave way to clear skin and cheek bones were revealed. A few more days and I had more money in my bank account and more time able to do things I enjoyed vs. frantically looking for the nearest liquor store to spend my last few dollars. These were a just a few of the miracles that occurred in my early days of recovery. As I stayed the course, one day at a time, I began to find more and more miracles and they seem to never stop. In the past 10 years I have been a caretaker for loved ones, present and willing to teach my children to drive, navigated corporate acquisition and meetings with ease, traveled internationally, attended high school and college graduations for my kids, shared my recovery journey with hundreds and mentored women and men through their own recovery journey. The blessings of recovery are never ending and a gift I would have missed had I not chosen recovery. One of my favorite quotes, that sums up the gift of recovery is by Gary Zukav “When you find an addiction, do not be ashamed–be joyful. You have found something that you have come to this earth to heal. When you confront an addiction, you’re doing the deepest spiritual work you can do on this earth.” ~ (excerpt from What happened to You)
This book has not only allowed me to share my experience, strength, and hope, but led me to some amazing resources. A few of those are as follows:
In the Rooms: A Global Recovery Community: www.intherooms.com
National Eating Disorders: www.nationaleadtingdisorders.org
American Addiction Centers: www.americanaddictioncenters.org
Alcoholics Anonymous: www.AA.org
These are just four resources of the hundreds available. I would encourage anyone struggling with an addiction to seek healing. It is a journey of blessings like none other!