When talking about addiction and recovery, we often focus on “the bottom”—when things are so terrible that you accept that you need help and cannot do it alone. I prefer to focus on the way out—the thing that we are willing to put the bottle down to fight for.

My moment came when I was drinking little bottles of wine in a parking lot at 2am. My husband had already divorced me, and I was only a month in the 12-month period I was not allowed to see my daughter. I received an email--sitting in that parking lot drinking at 2am--from my ex-husband that detailed how I could reduce the 12-month period to 6 months. I knew I had already hit bottom, but this was my way out. The mother I could be, and the life I could have with my daughter, were the reasons I put the bottle down that night.

I went into treatment when she was just 5 months old and I could not take her with me. This is one of the reasons Nexus Family Recovery Center is so important to me. When mothers can bring their children with them into treatment, families can heal. Some days will be tough, but being able to see and hug your children reminds you of why you want to be a sober, present mother.

Sobriety has changed everything in my life. My husband and I remarried each other. I changed careers and am now a therapist working with people who have substance use disorder (SUD). I also do couples counseling, specializing in relationships where one person has SUD. Most importantly, I am a present mother who shows up every single day for her child.

When you really see someone “get it” you get goosebumps. By the time they go to therapy or work a program, they have already been through a lot. I often hear, “Why did God let this happen to me? Why did God abandon me?” And then they realize God was there all along. We are the ones that turn away. I love the moment they realize this. They see that their futile efforts of battling addiction alone can become recovery with the empowerment of God.

To me, Strong Like a Mother is about how moms are warriors, but with grace and humility. We are capable of so much, but when you’re in your disease, you carry so much weight. When you release yourself from that, anything is possible.

There is no one with more fight and fire in their belly than an empowered mom in recovery. Your support of Nexus Family Recovery Center makes it possible for mothers to find their path.