NO REGRETS!.. sums up my husband and I’s take on being sober this past year! CrAzY to think we’ve had the happiest year we can remember- right in the middle of a global pandemic! It’s wild to see the clarity in our life by choosing a different path!

Sobriety doesn’t have to feel like a dirty word! My life feels more FuN and rewarding than before! I don’t really believe our life was reckless before. No one wants to believe their addiction is that bad or serious! It was just less time of focusing and feeling our best! We are choosing other avenues to unwind and doing so with great CLARITY!

Personally speaking from experience~ I know that addiction had found itself with a hold on me! I guess you could say, alcohol was my drug of choice.

Today is a day I never imagined would happen! I am a grown up thirty eight year old girl, who has officially been alcohol-free for a year! My husband, Johnny and I made a stand together to lead by example for our four kids as they enter adulthood! It wasn’t one big event that made us stop drinking alcohol. It was sudden.. it was after a lot of prayer about our kiddos future. I believe it was probably a God thing! I never thought I had the will power to give up alcohol, let alone believe it was an issue for me specifically!

In a lot of ways I am the same person .. in a lot of ways I am different! I wholeheartedly believe this change is for the best! Along with feeling proud, happy, more coherent, and more alive. I am realizing that I am seeing through different eyes! I see that I do impact others, I am influential in my actions, I am capable of things I wasn’t sure about before!

My husband and I both come from family backgrounds where addiction was at the forefront. Honestly, I am realizing that mental health and addiction touches most everyone in the world somehow! No different than standing together as a family.. we must stand together as neighbors, a community, as people. We should help where we can! Just being kind to others is a step in the right direction!

We became sober in November and our oldest two sons both chose (on their own) to enter treatment by January! They together made the decision that it was necessary! It wasn’t anything we forced on them. They both attended Valley Hope at different locations.

I could go into great detail about how their stories unfolded. I feel that it’s best to just summarize that as a society we often normalize the “party faze” that takes place upon going into college. It makes my heart sad to realize that’s how it is. I had prayed for our kids to experience college life because we didn’t really take that path.

I was told that drugs are behind every other door. I guess that is true.We as a society find ourselves struggling with addiction to prescription drugs! I myself had a long battle with prescription diet pills… eight years of telling myself it was okay because it was prescribed and I was checking in with health care professionals monthly.

I knew in my heart it wasn’t the best choice. I kept it a secret for a long time. I am a few years clean from phentermine! I remember telling the nurse that it was my last time weighing in.. so I would never go back! It worked!

Looking back I realize I still have the determination and will power to be whatever I want.. including being thinner, if I decide to. I am 22lbs. lighter than I was a year ago. At this point I would say it’s because I am not drinking so many empty calories or overeating as much. I didn’t have that self control when drinking alcohol. My sweet little doggies hold me to a walk every day. I can get up and go because I feel good!

As for our older boys.. I can say that the urge to try things they were introduced to were strong enough that they did. Whether it be an upper to have energy and stay focused on their school work or to “just chill”, as I have been told. I don’t think anyone ever truly thinks their sweet babies will grow up to be an addict.

We had our first son, Keith in October of our Sr. yr. of high school and we’re expecting our second son, Landon by the time we graduated high school. We married a month out of high school and started our career paths. I look back with great admiration of what we’ve accomplished!

I would summarize my youth with being overly responsible. My Dad was a Sheriff’s Deputy and I was a scaredy cat to get in trouble with him! I didn’t really start drinking till I was of age to. Yes, I had my share of stories growing up in a small town and being at field parties. I just did it rarely because I didn’t want to get in trouble.

I could go on and on about my husband and I’s background and our own stories. I just want to say I truly believe these hard truths can lurk in anyone’s lives. The realization that we want to be the best version of ourselves has definitely rose to the forefront.

We have found ourselves ordering non-alcoholic beverages on Amazon! In fact, tonight we are going to celebrate our year of sobriety with some new beverages we ordered. We are huge foodies.. love culture and experiencing through food, etc. We still can!

We want to be a voice and light for anyone in our network/world. You are worth living your best life.. whatever that looks like! We continuously work with professionals to get through the challenges that life brings our way. Talk therapy, treatment, understanding, and the good Lord has helped us get to where we are!

For us, our biggest successes are coming without alcohol! My husband became a realtor a couple of months ago. He passed his tests readily. I have been writing/blogging consistently for the past year! We are accomplishing our goals while being parents to four kids, running our salon business and working full time as hairdressers! Our additional endeavors have been possible through our sobriety!

I see the impact it’s made on our kids. Especially the youngest two, Ike and Leah, who still live at home! We have started some new healthy cycles in our family and in our circle! Pride and determination exude me!

Stay Rosy, Amber
Ps. Even my dog, Oscar (pictured) is proud!😘

Halfwaytowhereveryouputyourmindto #Halfwaythere

Posted by AMBER KLASSEN on NOVEMBER 12, 2020

https://halfwaythereme.wordpress.com/