I can ask for help.
I spent years trying to outthink a problem I couldn’t solve alone. Asking for help didn’t make me weak. For me, it opened a door.
ADDICTION · ALCOHOLISM · RECOVERY
There is hope.
There is help.
Whether it’s you or someone you love, I’m glad you’re here.
I’m Jody. I’m an alcoholic and a person in recovery. For a long time, I thought I had to figure my way out alone. Today, I’m learning what happens when I let other people in.
ONE DAY AT A TIME. ONE HONEST STEP AT A TIME.
Need someone to talk to about treatment?
More ways to find help In the U.S., SAMHSA’s free, confidential helpline is available 24/7: 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
01 / MY STORY
I tried to do it
my way.
I had the books. The seminars. The certifications. I was a life coach and a Reiki master. I was pretty good at collecting ways to help myself.
But with alcohol and drugs, all that knowledge didn’t get me where I wanted to go. AA made a difference for me that none of those things had. That’s my experience; other people find help in different places.
AA wasn’t for me for a long time. For about seventeen years, I kept coming back without being willing to do the work. Eventually I found myself there again and thought, Well, I keep ending up back here. Maybe I ought to participate.
My consequences kept getting bigger. There were handcuffs and concrete rooms, and I was looking at the possibility of spending decades in prison. I was tired of trying to find my own way out. I didn’t want to spend my senior years locked up. I was finally willing to accept help.
What changed wasn’t that I suddenly had all the answers. I stopped insisting I had to find them alone.
Keep reading: the first word is weA NOTE FROM JODY / 01You don’t have to
You don’t have to
to hit bottom
to ask for help.
My wake-up call came hard. Yours doesn’t have to. If you’re wondering whether you need to talk to someone, that’s reason enough to start.
Find a place to startWHAT FINALLY REACHED ME
The first word
is we.
The first word of AA’s first step is “we.” I’d heard it before. It took me a while to understand what it meant for my life.
Recovery is an inside job for me: honesty, willingness, accountability, and the next right thing. But the fellowship is what helped me stop trying to carry it all by myself. I found people who were showing up for their own recovery, too.
Today I ask my Higher Power for help. That’s part of my story. You don’t have to share my beliefs to be welcome here, or to look for support that feels right to you.
“The very first word of the very first Step: WE. Not I. WE. Well, damn. Apparently, other people are going to be involved.”
02 / THINGS I’M STILL LEARNING
Sobriety gave me
a life to live.
Not a finished version of me. A chance to practice showing up.
The next right thing.
Doing the next right thing, especially when nobody’s watching, is how I’m learning to trust myself again. No parade required. Though I still occasionally look for one.
I can tell the truth.
There’s still a part of me that remembers loving drinking and drugs. Sometimes I dream about using. I take that as a chance to check in with myself and reach out when I need to.
I found my people.
I can’t undo every consequence. Some relationships may never be what they were. But I can show up, help someone else, and keep building a life with people who understand.
FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE US
You deserve
support, too.
Loving someone who is struggling can be exhausting, confusing, and lonely. You can care deeply about them and still need help, boundaries, and room to look after yourself.
You didn’t cause another person’s addiction, and you can’t do their recovery for them. You don’t have to wait for them to be ready before finding support for yourself.
03 / A PLACE TO START
There’s more than
one door.
AA changed my life. It isn’t the only way people find support. Start wherever you’re willing to start.
Alcoholics Anonymous
Find local A.A. resources and information about in-person, online, or phone meetings.
Find AA near youSMART Recovery
Free peer-support meetings for people working through addictive behaviors, in person and online.
Find a SMART meetingFind treatment
Explore care options with SAMHSA’s treatment locator, or call the free, confidential National Helpline, available 24/7.
FindTreatment.gov 1-800-662-HELP (4357)Support for you
Family and friends can find their own community, even if the person they care about isn’t ready for help.
Explore Al-Anon & AlateenA note about stopping alcohol
If you’ve been drinking heavily, stopping suddenly can be dangerous. A health professional can help you plan a safe withdrawal. Learn more from NIAAA ↗
If you’re in immediate danger
In the U.S., call 911 for an emergency. For a mental health or substance-use crisis, call or text 988. Outside the U.S., contact local emergency or crisis services.
A BOOK FROM THE JOURNEY
Happy, Joyous
and Free?
I wrote this book about learning how to live sober—not as a perfect person, but as somebody who’s still figuring it out. There are stories, lessons, some hard truths, and a few laughs along the way.
“At first, I needed somebody to help me recognize myself in those pages. Today, I get to help somebody else recognize themselves. That’s the WE program. And for me, that’s where some of the magic begins.”
— JODY SACHSE, HAPPY, JOYOUS AND FREE?
04 / ON THE BOOKSHELF
Words for
the road.
A few places to begin. I’ll keep adding to this shelf as I share more of what’s helped me think, grow, and let go.
Alcoholics Anonymous
The “Big Book” presents the A.A. program. Read or listen to it on AA’s official website.
Explore the Big Book ↗Rising Strong
Brené Brown explores what it means to reckon with our stories and find our footing after a fall.
Explore the book ↗Letting Go
David R. Hawkins writes about surrender and letting go—a subject I keep coming back to.
Explore the book ↗The personal-growth books are here for reflection; they aren’t substitutes for addiction treatment or medical care.
STORIES WORTH SHARING
Recovery,
out loud.
I’m making room here for videos, conversations, and stories from the journey. In the meantime, AA shares real recovery stories and information you can explore.
Explore AA’s videosONE DAY AT A TIME
You’re still here.
Let’s start there.
Boots on the ground. One honest step. And people to walk with.
Find support