Stories
Recovery Stories
Voices from the Recovery Community.
These stories promote public awareness of recovery from addiction — not just the struggle, but the triumph.
By sharing honest experiences, we challenge stigma and help others find the courage to get help. Sobriety is for everyone — and it starts with visibility.
49,464 Days Sober Represented
Showing 1–10 of 11 stories
Jeff Copenace
July 8, 2026
Where did you grow up and what shaped who you are today?
I grew up in northern Ontario, Canada. I was born and raised in Kenora, but I am from the Ojibways of Onigaming First Nation.
I had a good ch...
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Laura Tarantino
June 23, 2026
Where did you grow up and what shaped who you are today?
In 1988, I emerged in Lima, Peru. Not as a noble creature, but as a feeble critter, born in a droopy state of perpetual self-destruction. Jus...
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Kim Bellas
June 22, 2026
Where did you grow up and what shaped who you are today?
I grew up in Montreal, Canada, and what shaped who I am today was becoming a mother. When my son Matthew was diagnosed with epilepsy, our world...
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Lisa Smith
June 10, 2026
Where did you grow up and what shaped who you are today?
I grew up in New Jersey, in a suburb of New York City. My family was close and loving; my dad was a judge and my mother was a teacher. They wer...
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Ericka Andersen Sylvester
May 9, 2026
Where did you grow up and what shaped who you are today?
I grew up in Bloomington, Indiana – the same city John Mellencamp shot the “Small Town” music video for (and where he still l...
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Brittany L. Shelton
May 5, 2026
Where did you grow up and what shaped who you are today?
I grew up in a small town in the Midwest. I was born to two young teenagers (16 and 17) and was the oldest of three, with two younger brothers....
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Morgan Dalton
March 20, 2026
Where did you grow up and what shaped who you are today?
I grew up in the Los Angeles, CA, suburb of Sherman Oaks, in the San Fernando Valley, with my mom and big sister. My parents split when I was t...
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George Kathele
March 20, 2026
Where did you grow up and what shaped who you are today?
I grew up in Kenya, specifically Nairobi, the capital city. My upbringing was modest, churchy, and normal. Grew up with two of my brothers, and...
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Brittany Young
March 20, 2026
Where did you grow up and what shaped who you are today?
I grew up outside of Philadelphia.Grit, resilience, love, faith, and family were instilled in me.Today, I still keep those characteristics, and...
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Priscilla María Gutiérrez, J.D.
March 20, 2026
Where did you grow up and what shaped who you are today?
I like to say I’m American in the deepest sense because my mother is from South America, my father is from Central America, and I was bor...
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