It's the season for giving and I'll be supporting  SMART’s Annual Fund with a donation this year.

SMART Recovery has been a truly life changing experience for me and for so many others that I have met.

My problems with alcohol started early. I had my first drink and my first buzz when I was 12 and went on to drink heavily for almost 40 years.

Two years ago I was one DUI away from losing my precious children, my job, my savings, and my freedom. I’d tried to quit many times but I really didn’t know how to stop.

And I was scared.

The turning point for me was waking up drunk on a Sunday morning and finding my kids were gone.  I discovered later that they had gone fishing with their dad. We’d talked about their plans the night before but I couldn’t remember that conversation.  I finally realized that enough is enough – and I haven’t had a drink since.

That sounds so easy, right?  “Just quit.” But it wasn’t easy and I found that I did need help.  I am so glad that I found  SMART Recovery.  SMART’s modern recovery program gave me the training and support  that I needed to transform my life.

The quality of my life is so much better  today than I could have ever imagined.  I now have the tools I need to sustain my recovery, tools that I had never found with other recovery programs.   I am now able to be a full-time mom to my two beautiful boys. What a gift!

So it’s no surprise that I’ll be giving a gift to support SMART’s Annual Fund this year.

On behalf of all moms who need help finding recovery,

Melinda  G.

Boston, MA*

PS. I'm so grateful for the friends of SMART who made sure SMART was available for me when I needed it. Please give to the Annual Fund today. Your tax deductible gift makes a world of difference for so many who are searching for modern, science-based recovery tools — like me!