I never touched a drop until I was 19 years old. My dad got sober when I was born in order to see me grow up and it was something I was made well aware of. I was the type of person that didn’t believe in addiction because it ran in my family and I escaped it for so long. The joke was on me, because once I met alcohol I made the best friend I would ever have in my life (so I thought). It took away all the pain and suffering I tucked away for so many years. Before long I was 25 years old struggling with my gender identity and at the worst of my worst. No longer drinking by choice but out of necessity to survive. That’s when I learned what true will power it takes to pull yourself out of an addiction. It took me roughly a year and a half of relapsing before I finally was able to make it further than ever before and hold onto it. Now on Christmas Day I will be 19 months sober and I’m finally starting to see the light in life again.