Sobriety is possible – if they can do it, so can you. In this series, Avenues Recovery presents true accounts of everyday heroes in recovery.
My name is Hillary Kerr, and I am an addict and alcoholic. I just marked 9 years of sobriety on September 23rd, 2023. I was a hard-core alcoholic and IV heroin user, and my lowest point found me homeless on the streets of New Orleans 9 years ago. I had lost custody of my son, and my family had filed a missing person’s report for me.
My recovery has been a journey of self-discovery and self-expression. My sobriety gave me the confidence to come out as a gay woman, and I now have a wonderful partner of 6 years whom I recently became engaged to. I have since recovered custody of my son, who is now a freshman in high school, and I enjoy a loving relationship with my family.
One of coping skills that I have utilized during my recovery is writing/journaling. I feel that the ability to express one’s story in a way that engages the senses can be very therapeutic both for the writer and the audience, and I hope that my story in poetry form will offer you the same.