A Patient’s Story Of Recovery And PurposeA Patient’s Story Of Recovery And Purpose
I Love Being Sober
Hannah Keller shares her journey from chaotic addiction, bereavement and trauma to sober living, mental health treatment and spiritual growth at Camelback Recovery. Her story highlights the impact of faith, forgiveness, and community support in building a life of purpose beyond substance use.
50:13•26 May 2026
From Rock Bottom to Purpose: Hannah Keller’s Full-Circle Recovery Story
Episode Overview
- Unresolved grief and childhood trauma can fuel addiction and make early sobriety feel emotionally overwhelming.
- Accurate mental health diagnosis, such as borderline personality disorder, can clarify why previous treatments failed and open the door to effective care.
- Forgiving others, especially family members, helped Hannah break the "chain of bondage" and stop harming herself because of their actions.
- Viewing days as either "good" or "great"—never bad—keeps focus on the victory of not drinking, using, or self-harming, even when life feels chaotic.
- Consistent routines like early-morning journalling, prayer, and music play a crucial role in maintaining emotional stability and spiritual connection.
“We either have good days or great days… a great day is when the world goes to shit and everything that could go wrong does, and we don’t drink, use, self-harm or do anything to hurt ourselves.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? Here, Hannah Keller shares her story of addiction, grief, faith, and a new sense of purpose after treatment at Camelback Recovery. You’ll hear how Hannah grew up around alcoholism, sexual abuse, and repeated bereavement, including losing three siblings—two to overdose and one in a drink-driving accident.
She explains how early drinking and pill use became her way to stop feeling, and how that pattern carried into adulthood through toxic relationships, relocation attempts, and spiralling drug and alcohol use. Hannah talks openly about reaching rock bottom while already sober: losing contact with her daughters, a traumatic encounter with her father, false accusations, jail, and a suicide attempt.
She describes being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and finding targeted mental health treatment, including TMS and therapy, that finally gave her "the keys to unlock this door" about herself. Faith and community are central threads. Hannah credits God, AA, and her sponsor for guiding her through the darkest moments, and she now works at Camelback Recovery, sitting across from people in the exact chairs she once occupied.
Her empathy comes from lived experience: "If I can just transmit the message of hope, that's satisfying." The conversation also digs into forgiveness work—like writing letters with both hands to access her adult and child selves—and how letting go of resentment freed her: "You no longer have power over me and my decisions." Practical routines, such as early-morning journalling, prayer, and worship music, show how she keeps her mental health steady day to day.
If you’re wondering whether you’re truly worthy of a different life, Hannah’s story might be the nudge to ask yourself: what kind of day are you ready to claim—good or great?
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