Sharing stories of change and relating to others in recovery provides a sense of shared empowerment as you walk the path of abstinence and life change. Knowing that others have and are going through some of the exact same feelings, cycles of shame, and realizations can make all the difference in your ability to carry on.
Until you’re able to admit the truth of your need for life change and make connections within a recovery community near you, it’s likely you feel isolated in your experience. The most accessible stories of successful recovery are through celebrities and other well-known personalities who are brave enough to share their truths in a public format.
Notable Persons in Recovery and Stories of Change
When you begin to dive into the world of celebrity addiction and recovery, you’ll find stories of individuals that span from those lost to overdose whose stories are told by the ones they left behind to those who have found their way to the other side with decades of sobriety to celebrate.
Recovery Story: Dax Shepard
A more recent story of addiction and recovery that rarely gets told is the recently admitted relapse of Dax Shepard. After celebrating his 16-year sobriety birthday with his friends and family and sharing weekly in his podcast about his history of addiction and how he applies recovery themes to his life, Dax admitted that his struggle with addiction was not as much in the past as he would like.
The specifics of his relapse (misusing prescribed painkillers, as well as illegally sourcing them after a motorcycle accident) don’t matter nearly as much as the vulnerability and courage he demonstrated in coming forward to share his truth with his family, friends and faithful listeners.
Dax’s story reminds us that change is not something we achieve and forget about. It’s something that we pursue every day in the little things: in the choice to be honest with ourselves, vulnerable with others and brave enough to ask for help.
Recovery Story: Glennon Doyle
While other notable persons in recovery are too numerous to list, another inspiring story comes to us from the life and writings of Glennon Doyle. Most recently, her memoir “Untamed” updates the story she told for so long about what it means to be a dutiful wife, responsible mother and live a full life.
After years battling her own eating disorder and tendencies to bury her own needs and emotions under mountains of “shoulds” of marriage and motherhood, Glennon’s newest reflections remind us that we too can update our view of ourselves to reflect a more accurate picture of who we are and what we need.
While these lessons are powerful even for individuals not in recovery, Glennon’s story is even more impactful knowing her familiarity with addiction, as her first marriage was spent dealing with her husband’s concurrent substance and sex addictions after recovering from bulimia herself. Her stories are authentic and raw, coming from someone who intimately understands the desire to numb from the painful present and who knows what it’s like to walk alongside someone else in their journey to do the same.
Sharing Your Story can Change the World
There is so much to learn from the wisdom of someone else’s lived experiences. While celebrity stories are often the most accessible to us, joining a recovery community and opening yourself up to hearing from others is an incredibly impactful experience. It can help you to gain the courage to share your own story. Truly, the recovery community benefits immeasurably when individuals at all stages of the recovery process share, connect and lift one another up. Remember: together, we are the change.