"Four years ago, I was drinking alone in my apartment, unable to imagine anything beyond survival. Today, I wake up before dawn to run toward a life I once thought was impossible. Recently I ran the New York City Marathon. It was my seventh marathon in the four years that I have been in recovery from alcoholism. In traditional recovery programs there is a saying, Fake it til you make it."
"Running is not a byproduct of my recovery; it is one of the main reasons I've stayed sober. Many people need clinical rehabilitation to stop drinking, but it wasn't enough for me. Once my treatment ended, I was thrown back into the same lonely environment that caused me to drink in the first place. I needed something more, a community that provided support, accountability and goals."
"In 2020, a friend invited me to a hike with The Phoenix, a sober active nonprofit organization that provides connection-based activities and community to anyone sober for at least 48 hours. Activities might include yoga, weightlifting, rock climbing or coffee meet-ups. It was the first model that made sense to my goal-oriented brain. You become a member of a supportive team, put in the effort and see proof that you're moving forward."
I drank alone and struggled to imagine anything beyond survival, but now I run before dawn toward a life once thought impossible. I completed the New York City Marathon, my seventh marathon during four years of recovery from alcoholism. Clinical rehabilitation provided tools but lacked structure and community, and returning to a lonely environment triggered relapse after treatment. Running and participation in a sober active nonprofit provided accountability, goals, and social connection. The Phoenix's activities—hiking, yoga, weightlifting, rock climbing, coffee meet-ups—offered a team model that matched a goal-oriented mindset. Recovery required sustained effort and a supportive community to maintain sobriety.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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