I turned 8 months sober yesterday. I was in a Zoom meeting and this girl passed out, probably ODed. She nodded off in the middle of the meeting and we were unable to wake her. She had her full name in her profile, so we looked her up on Instagram and called her. It didn't wake her. Eventually, her friend came and got her out of her coma or whatever. She looked dead. I thought I was looking at a dead woman. We were typing "Call 911" in the chat, but all she did was close the laptop. Her friend was strung out, too.

Why is this a gift? 8 months and 2 days ago, that was pretty much me. I was high in a midnight Zoom meeting, trying to "get" recovery. I had the gift of desperation. I had tried to stay sober but couldn't. Nothing had worked. Now, 8 months later, I'm a different person. I finally found a Higher Power that works for me. God has turned me into a man that my father can be proud of, even with my shortcomings. I am not perfect, far from it. I have a lot of wreckage in my past, some of it very close past. But I can change, move on, and be a better man for it. It took me a while to fall asleep, thinking about that girl and wondering if she's still alive. All I know is that I am clean and sober today. Just for today.