Sober for a Year

I have been sober for a year today. It feels so odd to say that. I can't believe it's already been a year since everything in my life hit rock bottom. It has by far been the hardest year of my entire life. Where do I even start? I had surgery, was in the hospital for half a month, was diagnosed with 2 lifelong diseases, found out I could never drink again, lost 55 pounds, had to drop out of college for a semester, returned to college and graduated, got hired as a financial consultant, failed the Series 7 Stockbroker Exam, lost that job due to my illnesses (and extreme dislike of the job), was one step away from buying a house but lost the house due to losing the job, moved 4 times, lost many close friends because I didn't drink anymore, filed for bankruptcy, lost a close family friend in death, got hired as a temp, and holy shit....the list just continues. Everything single thing about my life has changed. I look back a year at a person that I don't even know. That Julie isn't the same Julie that I am now. I've grown, I've changed, and I'm a different, albeit very sober, person.

There is one special person that I need to thank. If it weren't for Dusty, I don't think I would have made it out of this mess as well as I did. He was always there for me no matter what happened. He was the my stone, my strength, and my support. He pushed me to continue to reach for my dreams no matter how hard the journey was. He supported me in all the rough patches when I truly felt like I couldn't go on. I remember waking up in the ICU to the sounds of his soft snores next to my bed. I remember having to tell him that I failed my Series 7 and him responding with "I will always believe in you--you are one of the strongest and hardest working people I know". It was these things that kept me going on, pushing, striving for something in my life.

I know that my life at this point isn't all peaches and cream. I'm working a shitty temp job, I'm still broke and bankrupt, and everything isn't how I planned it to be a year ago. But I pulled out of this in a way that I will always be proud of. I can be happy for so many things. I'm ALIVE and determined to stay that way for a very long time, I have the best boyfriend I could possibly ever ask for, I have a loving family, a frisky cat, a job that is providing me experience for another better job down the road, and the friends who stayed by my side along the way. I couldn't ask for more.