“He Took Me on a Date… to an NA Meeting”

“He Took Me on a Date… to an NA Meeting”

What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? This episode of Recovery Matters! follows Kat, a woman from Quito, Ecuador, whose relationship with alcohol began at just eight or nine years old and spiralled into daily drinking, globe‑trotting drug use and, eventually, heroin addiction.

You'll hear how a life that looked glamorous on the outside – money, travel, parties and "this shining, you know, briefcase with all kinds of cocaine and drugs and ecstasy" – quietly turned into a terrifying overdose alone in a bathroom. Kat describes feeling her "disconnection from my soul" and praying, "God, like, you know, don't let me die," before waking up in a hospital with no idea who saved her.

The turning point comes in a very unexpected way: an art teacher who calls out her using, then asks her out to dinner… and instead takes her to her first NA meeting in Bogotá. Kat is furious, but stays.

Hearing others share, she says, "It was the first time that I felt part of," and realises, "I'm like them and I have a problem." From there, the episode traces her move into rehab, a painful divorce, and a return to Ecuador where daily meetings, a sponsor and deep humility help her rebuild family relationships, finish university and eventually earn a psychology degree and master’s in the United States.

She’s honest about a later relapse after her father’s death and moving to the East Coast, and how reconnecting with meetings, a strong woman in recovery and CCAR brought her back. Kat now describes recovery as "magic, magic" and insists, "You're not alone. Ask for help and just keep coming until the miracle happens." For anyone feeling scared, ashamed or stuck, her story offers a simple question: what might change if you let other people help you today?