Addiction Treatment Helped Karrie Give Her Family the Gift of Recovery
My name is Karrie. On November 13, 2013, around 7:00 PM I checked in to Stepping Stone Center for Recovery. I had finally got to a point where I knew my drinking and drugging had spun out of control and that I couldn’t change on my own. I had 4 children. Months before I knew that I was drinking too much. There had been many nights I blacked out, and mornings I woke up sick. I was drinking during the day and stealing pills whenever I could. But my drinking was putting my children in danger. This one morning, in particular, I woke up hungover and after dropping the older kids off at school I headed to the liquor store. I still had my 2-year-old with me. I went home and drank my vodka. Before I picked the kids up I got more vodka. I don’t remember anything after that. I ended up passing out and scaring my children. They tried waking me up but they couldn’t. They called their father who came home. He told me to leave and I went to a friend’s house. 
The next morning he told me I needed to go to detox to get sober, handed me my insurance card, and told me I wasn’t coming back until I completed detox. So I called the number on the back of the card. They gave me a couple of numbers and Stepping Stone was the first one. I called and talked to the women. She told me it was a 42-day program. I said, “But I won’t be with my kids for Thanksgiving or Christmas.” I remember her exact words. “But honey are you really there for them now? Will you really be there for them if you are drunk?” That really hit me hard. I hadn’t been there for them in a very long time. I mean I was there physically but not mentally. I told her I would call her back. I talked to my mom about it. I mean my (ex) husband only wanted me to go to detox for a couple days. Why would I go for 42? The more I thought about it the more I knew I needed help, I didn’t just need a detox. I called the lady back she asked if I could go right then. I told her I would be there at 7:00 PM. I’m not going to lie; I was scared to death. My husband had gone through an IOP a few years before but I didn’t realize I had a problem at the time. I quit drinking right along with him but at that time I was only doing it to support him. And the months before going to Stepping Stone I had gone to AA a few times but I always went back to drinking. This time was different. Going to Stepping Stone was one of the best decisions I ever made. Sure it was scary and I missed my children, but the lady on the phone was right. What were 42 days compared to the rest of my life!? While I was at Stepping Stone I learned so much. I made friends that I still have 3 years later. They taught me how to live sober. How to have fun without drinking and drugging. They taught me how to love myself. 
When you make the decision to get the help you need to be the better mother, child, sister, brother, you’re not taking any time away from your family! You are giving them even more time. Don’t wait because you don’t want to leave your family over the holidays. It is one holiday. When you’ve got yourself together you will be so much happier and so will they! Just remember, graduating doesn’t mean you’re cured. You have to take care of your recovery every day! But I promise you this, if you use the tools they teach you and do the suggestions that you are given, you will have such an amazing life. And you’ll remember every single day.
