SHAIR 92: "Knocking on Heavens Door" with Gaby Campagna, surviving Alcoholic Liver Disease!SHAIR 92: "Knocking on Heavens Door" with Gaby Campagna, surviving Alcoholic Liver Disease!
The SHAIR Recovery Podcast
Gabrielle “Gaby” Campagna recounts her journey from teenage drinking to alcoholic liver and kidney failure, relapse, and finally solid recovery through treatment and 12-step support. Her story highlights how routine, community and emotional growth helped her build a peaceful, alcohol-free life after near death and major life upheaval.
1:43:41•15 Nov 2016
From Liver Failure to Freedom: Gaby Campagna’s Second Chance at Sobriety
Episode Overview
- Quitting alcohol on willpower alone left Gaby vulnerable to relapse; structured treatment and a 12-step-based programme gave her lasting recovery tools.
- A near-fatal episode of alcoholic liver and kidney failure became the catalyst for a spiritual shift and a commitment to live differently.
- Routine, meaningful work and regular exercise help her maintain stability, channel energy, and reduce the risk of slipping back into old patterns.
- Accepting imperfections and working on emotional sobriety have been as important as physical abstinence from alcohol.
- Online recovery groups and sharing her story allow Gaby to stay connected, accountable and useful to others on a similar path.
“Everything I was trying to achieve with drinking, I've actually achieved in sobriety.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? This SHAIR Recovery Podcast episode follows Gabrielle “Gaby” Campagna through years of heavy drinking, a near‑fatal health crisis, and the long road into genuine recovery. Gaby shares how she drank from her teens into her mid‑30s, eventually switching to daily vodka and ending up in hospital with alcoholic liver hepatitis and kidney failure. Doctors told her family she had 72 hours to live and pushed for a do‑not‑resuscitate order.
Instead, her family insisted on emergency dialysis, and Gaby woke from a coma with what she describes as a spiritual shift and a fierce determination to live. As she later puts it, “Everything I was trying to achieve with drinking, I've actually achieved in sobriety.” You’ll hear how she spent months in hospital, three months on dialysis, and two years regaining her health—only to relapse after “white‑knuckling” it for years without real support.
She explains the difference between quitting on willpower and entering true recovery through an outpatient, 12‑step‑based programme, group therapy, and ongoing aftercare. The conversation also covers her perfectionism, fear of flying, and the way work, routine, and Pilates help keep her grounded. Gaby is candid about her chaotic marriage, massive shared debts, divorce in sobriety, and rebuilding her life and career to the point where she bought her own home and now supports others online.
Her message is clear and direct: alcohol never brought peace, but recovery does. As she says, “Life is very short. We should not be sitting around putting poison in our bodies and thinking that's fun or the answer to solving our problems.” If you’re wondering whether sobriety could really feel better than drinking, this story might be the nudge you’ve been waiting for.
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