Betty M. AFG Female

Betty M. AFG Female

What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? Betty M. answers that with humour, honesty and a lifetime of living alongside alcoholism and addiction. Speaking from an Al-Anon viewpoint, Betty talks about being a daughter, wife, ex-wife, mum and grandma in a family steeped in alcohol and drugs.

She shares how her son
350 years old, bipolar, schizophrenic and living in a group home after drug use
iscaled back her expectations of his life and forced her to "turn my adult children over to God" while still doing what she can, like driving him to his monthly injection and gently rebuilding a relationship she once resented.

Betty doesnt sugar-coat any of it, yet keeps the room laughing with lines like, "What can two drunk people possibly do?" and her mock-resignation letter to God: "Effective immediately, I resign my position as a saint." She talks about the power of sponsorship (Youre as sick as your secrets), the relief of staying in her own "hula hoop", and why she urges Al-Anon members to attend open AA meetings and read the Big Book to better understand the alcoholics they love.

Youll hear how Al-Anon gave her language and tools for chaos she once thought was normal: late-night searches for her drunk husband, children taken to bars, a quadriplegic alcoholic still finding ways to drink, and a daughter whose anxiety and drinking echo the family disease. Faith runs through her story, but so does practicality: setting boundaries, choosing divorce for her own and her childrens sanity, and accepting that her grown children now have responsibility for their own lives.

This recording speaks to anyone affected by someone elses drinking or drug use, especially those juggling guilt, responsibility and exhaustion. If youve ever wondered where your duty ends and your own life begins, Bettys experience may help you ask, what choices am I allowed to make for myself?