My name is Chassity Lemuel. I have been in sustained recovery from alcohol since November 17, 2016. In my recovery, what I am most proud of is finding the true me. Because of alcohol, I was lost for so many years. I never wanted to be vulnerable, I never wanted to show my weaknesses, and I never wanted to fail. It was my biggest fear. Recovery has taught me all of those things are okay, and I am who I am meant to be and it’s okay to fall down. It’s what you do when you get back up that makes the difference. At one point in my recovery, I was one month sober and was given two weeks to live. My addiction had caught up to me, and my liver and kidneys were failing along with the rest of my body. I had a choice to either give up and die or fight my hardest to live. The next two years of my life proved to be two of the worst years of my life, but it taught me grace, compassion, and empathy — everything I was lacking in my addiction. I had been looked down on and judged by so many doctors, nurses, every professional healthcare worker. In the end, I proved them all wrong and I am living proof that no matter how bad it gets, there is always a way out with help. I am currently working towards my State certification for peer coaching, and I love what I am doing. Talking people through maybe one of the worst days in their life and letting them know they are not alone in this journey is one of the best feelings, and it also helps in my recovery. These people count on me, and I am not going to let them down. Life is amazing. I really couldn’t ask for more.
Thank you Chassity!
