Nineteen Years Sober: A Love Letter to Freedom
Celebrating 19
This day, nineteen years ago, I walked into the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous. I didn’t know it then, but that single step would unravel a lifetime of pain and open a path toward something I didn’t yet have language for: liberation.
Quitting drinking was the easy part.
It wasn’t until my eighteenth year of sobriety that I finally understood — alcohol was just a symptom. The real ache underneath was love addiction. That deeper hunger. That unhealed wound.
Since I first got sober from alcohol, my journey toward wholeness has taken many shapes: 12-step recovery, therapy, mindfulness, meditation, and becoming a life coach. But the work hasn’t ended — and never will. The journey of wellbeing, for me, is not a destination. It’s a daily devotion. A sacred practice in becoming.
Recovery isn’t just about what we stop doing — it’s about what we grow into. It's about becoming someone we trust with our own heart. Someone we love.
It’s about cultivating freedom — emotional, mental, physical, and financial.
It’s about naming your shadows, bowing to them, and walking them into the light.
It’s about letting go of what once protected you, and building new patterns that serve the self you are becoming.
Today, I live in a way that feels deeply free. I’m no longer afraid to be fully myself. I walk with my whole self — light and shadow, sacred and messy. I stretch. I soften. I breathe into the spaces I once tried to shrink.
This, to me, is sobriety.
Steering the Ship Providence
Sobriety is the freedom to enjoy the unfolding mystery of self-discovery.
Sobriety is self-acceptance — on good days and on "lie-in-bed-eating-popcorn-for-dinner" days.
Sobriety is leaning into your quirks and idiosyncrasies like they’re secret ingredients in your magic soup.
Sobriety is joy. Joy in who I am. Joy in the life I’ve built. Joy in the people I walk alongside.
Because yes — I did the footwork.
But I did not walk this road alone.
My wellbeing journey has only been possible because of the brave, kind, wildly wise humans who have loved me into being. Who showed up when I couldn’t. Who mirrored back to me my own sacredness until I could finally see it myself.
I am a better human because I asked for help.
Because I received it.
Because alone? I’m a hot mess. (And sometimes, still am — but now I’m a loved hot mess.)
So to everyone who has walked beside me, held my hand, whispered truth into my chaos, and reminded me of who I really am:
Thank you.
I love you.
I see you.
I am because we are.
Namaste,
Dani
If you are struggling…
With addiction. With grief. With loneliness. With shame.
With a past you don’t know how to carry
or a future you don’t know how to face…
Please know this:
You are not broken.
You are not alone.
You are not too far gone.
There is a path forward — tender, winding, imperfect — but real.
And you don’t have to walk it alone.
Reach out. Ask for help. Whisper before you can speak.
There are hands ready to catch you.
There are hearts that understand.
Freedom is possible. Healing is possible.
And if you can’t believe that right now, that’s okay —
I’ll believe it for you.
You are worthy of love,
and you are allowed to begin again.
🌿 Sacred Tea Ceremony: “Becoming” Blend & Ritual for the Journey of Self 🌿
🫖 Tea Blend: “Becoming”
A tea to honor your inner evolution — earthy, heart-opening, and quietly empowering.
Ingredients:
Tulsi (Holy Basil) – for spiritual clarity, resilience, and emotional balance
Rose petals – for self-love, softness, and healing the heart
Lemon balm – to soothe the nervous system and invite peace
Chamomile – for gentle surrender and restfulness
Ginger root – to ignite inner fire and support transformation
Cardamom – for sacred sweetness and energetic protection
Optional: a pinch of cacao nibs or cinnamon – for heart warmth and grounding joy
Steep for 5–7 minutes in just-boiled water. Breathe in the steam. Let it become your first inhale of devotion.
🔮 Crystals to Support the Ritual:
Place one or more of these on your altar or near your cup:
Rose Quartz – for unconditional self-love and tender emotional healing
Smoky Quartz – for grounding, letting go, and integrating shadow
Amethyst – to open intuition and soothe the mind
Labradorite – for transformation and stepping into one’s truth
🕯️ Incense or Oils:
Frankincense – for spiritual connection and purification
Lavender – for calm, inner peace, and gentle clarity
Sandalwood – for sacred grounding and opening the third eye
Optional: Anoint your pulse points with a drop of rose or neroli oil to anchor love and grace
🌒 Ritual Flow: A Ceremony of Returning to Self
1. Prepare Your Space
Create a small altar — a candle, your crystals, a journal, your tea, a photo of your younger self (optional). Make it beautiful. Make it you. Dim the lights. Light your incense.
2. Breathe & Center
Sit quietly with your warm tea in hand. Place one hand over your heart and one on your belly. Inhale for four, hold for four, exhale for six. Repeat three times.
3. Speak the Incantation
Recite the Incantation for a Tea Ceremony of Becoming aloud or in your heart. Let the words wrap around you like a shawl.
4. Sip Slowly, Mindfully
Drink your tea in silence. With each sip, speak a kind word inward:
“I honor you.”
“I forgive you.”
“I cherish you.”
“I trust you.”
Or anything your soul longs to hear.
5. Reflect or Journal
After your tea, write whatever flows:
Who am I becoming?
What am I ready to release?
What is one truth I want to carry forward from today?
6. Close with a Blessing
Blow out the candle. Thank the elements. Place your hands over your heart and say:
“I am becoming. I am enough. I am free.”