Angela got sober at 18 and is in the category of people who have never had a legal drink.  Angela started drinking at the age of 10.  By 11, she was finding people to buy her alcohol. By the age of 13 she considers herself to have been an alcoholic. 

The separation and abandonment from her father led Angela to alcohol. It was her solution to feel better. She lived off that feeling. That eight-year period of substance abuse took Angela to a dark and lonely point. She felt she would do self-harm to herself if she didn’t call for help. Her wake-up call came during that final year and a half of drinking  — just living that same old lifestyle with no real changes. She couldn’t live that life anymore.

She remembers the night when she spilled all of her emotions at to a 12-step meeting. She can recall people at the meeting nodding in agreement. They too had gone through what she had endured. Angela’s been sober since that meeting. This July, she celebrated 13 years of sobriety.

Today, Angela’s life has changed by leaps and bounds. She’s found a community of young people who are just like her.  She believes no one can help another alcoholic or addict like another alcoholic and addict. She understands the importance of staying centered in your recovery. She knows that she doesn’t have to define her seat in 12 step fellowship nor does she have to defend her position in recovery. She knows she belongs here because she says she does.