My addiction has controlled me for far too long. It made me feel like I was stuck in limbo. I felt like I was drowning and couldn’t come up for air no matter how hard I tried. I had lost all the love I had for myself along the way as well as for everything and everyone who is important to me. That was how much my addiction had power over me. I had lost myself. I lost my spirit and my will to live and love. It felt like the universe was against me and everything was crashing down around me. In all reality, it was my addiction against me. It’s a disease of the mind.
Until… one day, I got the gift of desperation and chose to pull myself up out of the deep, dark depths of my addiction and rise up against all odds and conquer what I thought was impossible. At first, I wanted to be cured overnight. I realized all I could do was give myself time and a little grace. It hasn’t always been easy. At times I had to dig deep within myself and get out of my comfort zone. But with a lot of persistence and hard work, I did it.
I educated myself about the disease of addiction, and I built the biggest support network I’ve ever had. I go to NA and AA meetings. I go to counseling, which has helped me to cope with things better, and I learned how to process my emotions in a healthier way. My artistic side has been a super huge help in my recovery. I volunteer when I am able to. I now have a job that I enjoy, and I’m about to be transitioning into an apartment with my sober boyfriend. All around, just having a routine has helped tremendously. I’ve had a wonderful opportunity of being at the Women’s Dismas House, which has helped me along the way in my journey of sobriety.
Being at the Women’s Dismas House and having everyone here believing in me and helping me to believe in myself again has shown me that I’ve always had the capacity to get sober and stay sober and to be the best version of myself that I want to be and have regained. I know that the hard work will never end and I won’t get a certificate of completion for my sobriety. I must continue with it for the rest of my life, but I know now that it’s possible, thanks for believing in me.
Dismas believed in me, so I believe in Dismas.
Love Always, Anna Corbeil aka Banana
Anna is pictured here with a painting she made for the Women’s Dismas House. The reason why I chose the Alice and Wonderland theme is because being at Dismas could be the key you need to open up the door to being successful and maintaining your sobriety. It won’t always be easy at times, and you’ll have to work hard to rise above what may feel like the impossible. But as long as you have perseverance, you can achieve your dreams and aspirations.
