Raising the Bottom: Making Mindful Choices in a Drinking Culture by Lisa Boucher

Author:Lisa Boucher [Boucher, Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Self-Help, Substance Abuse & Addictions, Alcohol, Family & Relationships, General, Literary Collections, Essays
ISBN: 9781631522154
Google: WgUkDwAAQBAJ
Amazon: 1631522140
Publisher: She Writes Press
Published: 2017-06-20T00:00:00+00:00

I sought out a conversation with a woman I knew named Izzy for two reasons. First, she’s a beautiful spirit who also happened to be a dear friend of my mother. Second, after more than three decades of sober living, she’s plowed through a lot, and it helps to understand how people apply the principles of the steps to their lives. Izzy shared with me how holding on to the principles of surrender, faith, and hope helped her navigate through a difficult time in her life. This is Izzy’s perspective:

Like everyone else, I’ve had my share of problems related to family, finances, employment—life happens. But my biggest test came when one evening my husband came home and told me that because of his job, we had to relocate. I was terrified to leave the stability of my community and friends. I was taught early on that I had to become God-dependent instead of drug- or alcohol-dependent, but I didn’t fully understand what that meant until I had to forge out on my own.

When I first came into recovery I felt incredibly blessed that I had women in my path who were doing this deal. I could tell they were powered by a force, and one of those women was your mother. I wanted what they had. Those women took me under their wings, and for the first twelve years I found the life I’d craved. Through the steps I found peace and built a relationship with God. Then, in that twelfth year when I had to move—the fear was crippling. I couldn’t imagine life without all of the stalwarts who loved me back to health.

It wasn’t until I had to move that I realized I’d become too dependent on my sponsor and my identity in the program; everyone knew me. I’d been cocooned in a world of security, and soon, that security would be stripped away.

The first time I moved we landed in a small town. I had to pull every bit of principle and courage from the steps. What helped me plug into my new environment was to start over with the basics: I went to meetings. I went to hospitals and talked to women. I depended on God, and not on the fellowship or the people or the meetings. I survived by using the steps.

Early in my sobriety when I felt like I wanted to jump out of my skin because I had no coping skills, I’d call my sponsor, and she’d say, ‘Go in your bedroom, get on your knees, then call me in two hours.’ In my new town, I felt like I was starting over, so I went back and did what I did in the beginning.

Each time we moved, I had to step out on my own, and each time, all I had to hold on to was God’s hand. I had to get my security from God, not people—not a bank account, but God.

I’ve accumulated so many relationships from multiple moves, and the

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