My Name is Lori-Ann: This is My Story of Recovery from Alcoholism and Drug Addiction

by Lori-Ann B
(Florence,SC)

My name is Lori-Ann and I am a recovered alcoholic and addict which seemed like an impossible task. My journey began at a young age of 14. I was adopted and raised an only child.

Loneliness was my constant companion. My father’s job kept him away from the home most of the time. My mother was a strict and very formal lady. I had everything that a child could want but happiness. When I was prescribed narcotic pain medication I immediately found that by taking a pill I felt pretty, was no longer lonely and I liked my mother. Life would never be the same from that day forward.

It was soon after the introduction to narcotics that I discovered alcohol. With the combination of the two my world was great. The days turned into weeks, weeks into months and months into years. Through the years I had developed many habits from Heroin to Cocaine. During this time I had a son, James. My parents had passed and his father left before he was born. We were all that each other had.

My son spent most of his life seeing mother in and out of treatment with no success. He was taken away from me and now I see that was a blessing. Life spiraled into the black abyss. Nothing mattered and my only prayer was to die soon.

In 2006 I found myself in a seedy motel in Sumter, SC. To this day I do not know how the phone call transpired but I was talking to a man that began describing my pain as if he knew exactly how I felt. He told me that I never had to be alone again and that I was coming home. Those words meant more to me than anything in this world. He said that God was on the way.

Two women arrived to bring me home. They began to tell me their story and it sounded like mine. I could see life in their eyes and love in their hearts. I wanted what they had and they told me that I could have it if I followed a few simple steps. I soon arrived at a placed called the Owls Nest. This was the beginning of a life far greater than I could ever have imagined. I was given unconditional love and I learned how to give love.

One of the women that came to my motel room that night is and has been my sponsor. She took me through the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and showed me how to apply these steps in my everyday affairs. I now have a host of lifelong friends, a fellowship of brothers and sisters. We have discovered a common solution.

I completed the program at the Owls Nest and stayed on as a trusted servant. I have been honored to be on staff as the Admission Director for over 3 years. I now can bring others home and give to them what has been given to me. My relationship with my son has been restored. We have a bond today stronger than ever before.
My only wish is that others may find the peace and happiness that I have.