For the past two months, we’ve been covering the struggles people are facing with addiction and isolation; particularly as it pertains to the national quarantines happening amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But we believe it is just as important to celebrate successes and positivity as well. Despite some of the alarming new stats, millions of Americans are also staying true to their sobriety and using outlets like social media to share their important milestones.
A famous example of this comes from famed rapper Eminem. He happened to go viral this month, with an empowering Instagram post acknowledging his 12 years of sobriety. It is no secret that he struggled for years with addiction (which he famously addressed in many of his popular songs), so achieving this milestone is especially inspiring. And as a very influential celebrity, Eminem’s post was shared on major news outlets around the world; reaching millions of fans.
You can see his Instagram post below, which earned over 1.7 million “Likes.” His short but poignant message says it all, “Clean dozen, in the books! I’m not afraid.”
Of course, many everyday advocates are doing the same thing and finding continued support on channels like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. USA Today recently covered the growing trend of recovery milestones amid COVID-19, profiling a local Tennessee resident who has been chronicling her journey.
Nettie Daugherty is a 29-year-old Clarksville resident who just finished her first year of complete sobriety (after a decade of battling drug and alcohol dependencies). She explained that the last two months have been especially hard in isolation, as person-to-person support has been a linchpin of her success.
“This is a difficult time for people dealing with alcohol and drug issues because a lot of us don’t handle isolation well,” Daugherty told the site. “We battle with being able to cope and tend to gravitate to the familiar things we used to cope with before.”
But, she has continued to find support through virtual recovery meetings and regular conversations with friends and family. Unfortunately, Daugherty admitted that she wasn’t able to get her anniversary chip in person. But, as she explained, it is something she looks forward to receiving once the quarantine is lifted. It also is giving her something to look forward to while we wait to flatten the curve.
