Maria Elena

At 17, my dad’s alcoholism took away my home and my sense of security. I suddenly had to figure out how to survive in a scary world without the safety and protection every child deserves. Years later, alcohol became my way of coping too. At 32, I chose recovery. Today, I own my first home, I’m pursuing my PhD, and I’ve built a life I genuinely love. My story isn’t about everything I lost. It’s about everything I built after I thought I had lost it all.