My Story...

Marion

When I retired from nursing, I just couldn’t find things to fill the void – except drinking, I was a secret, silent drinker. My husband is a woodworker and he kept our alcohol in the shop, apart from our house. Gin was my favorite. Late at night I’d slip out of bed and wake my faithful drinking buddy, our dog, to quietly tip-toe with me out to the shop because I was afraid of the dark. A couple of dedicated booze hounds!

Of course I thought I was fooling everyone, though much later I realized they’d all noticed my behavior. I was becoming depressed. On the morning of December 15, 2004, I was discovered passed out. I had overdosed on whiskey. My blood alcohol level was measured at .37. After I was resuscitated, my husband said with conviction, “I just can’t handle this.” For me, this was a life changing event. I tried a conventional addiction program, but just couldn’t relate to the young women there. Intimidated and in tears, I begged and pleaded my husband to retrieve me after only a week in treatment.

A wonderful social worker with the local hospital took me under her wing. An angel, she looked very hard to find a chemical dependency program that would work for me. One day she proclaimed, “Marion, I’ve found it!” It was called Senior Recovery Program, and they specialized in recovery programs for older adults like me. It has saved my life. Today I enjoy attending peer-oriented AA meetings hosted there once a week, and get the support I need to stay sober. I also volunteer at a local hospital, and have discovered a tremendous new and meaningful life without alcohol.

 

Because Golden Years are Worth Recovering.

Senior Recovery Program
253 State St  |  St. Paul MN, 55107  |  (651) 773-0473
info@senior-recovery.org