Caitlin started drinking at 15, around the same time that her mom was diagnosed with cancer. By the time she was 20, Caitlin’s mother had passed away, and her father was also sick and dying of cancer. In college, her alcoholism had progressed to the point that she was hospitalized with a .60 blood alcohol level. While helping take care of her parents and dealing with her grief, she states there were years in which she “didn’t draw a sober breath.” At the age of 20, her brother intervened and got her into MARR. As she was able to surrender to the process of recovery, she started to see that she had a community to help her through her losses. She also saw that she was being given a life that she could not have imagined for herself. For the past six years, Caitlin has been working in the treatment field for BRC Recovery, after being hired by a former fellow client she met at MARR.
0:01 Introduction
1:58 Parents diagnosed with cancer
3:35 Coming to terms with alcoholism
5:50 Hospitalization
7:00 Detox and first treatment
8:20 Going to MARR for treatment
13:30 The family program
16:20 Losing her father and staying sober
18:00 Turning points during treatment
21:18 Learning to be real about your feelings
25:00 Working in the treatment field
27:11 Advice to somebody thinking about treatment
28:40 Gratitude and resentment can’t coexist
31:17 One piece of advice I would pass on