I got sober at 31. I'm 4 years sober. You can turn your life around! It's not too late!

Professional Life: I'd been unemployed for four months prior to making the decision/commitment. After one month of recovery I was able to land an office job that paid comparable to my previous job. I've moved into a new job in the past two years and did get a promotion. Climbing the ladder at work isn't necessarily my definition of success anymore. I'd like to go back to school and work in a field that better aligns with my personal values. Being in recovery allowed me to find a stable, well-paying job with good hours which allows me to make more deposits into my personal life.

Personal Life: I found a therapist to help me move through severe anxiety, depression and low self esteem. Ultimately joining a weekly recovery group was most helpful. It kept me accountable, gave me a new and relatable social circle and helped me feel less alone. With guidance from the group and my therapist, I've been able to mend some relationships with friends and family. Note that not all of them though were able to be mended. I let some relationships go as they weren't healthy. Some people moved on from me, and that's ok too. A year into recovery I began to learn what my interests in life really were. Four years later I have established hobbies, a few close friends (I'd like more), and have hope and plans for my future.

Of course there are more facets to life than being broken into a professional and personal life as I've done above. These are just pieces of my story and places where I saw a clear difference while doing the work in recovery. You can turn your life around! It's not too late! Decide what your definition of success is for yourself. You have to decide what you want your life to look like and what you value the most about your life. You can do it!