Blog Archives - Martha Burich

My Recovery Story

Alcohol became my answer

At 18, I found alcohol. At first, it felt like a solution. Suddenly, I could walk into a party. I could talk to people. I could stop caring so much about every word, every look, every possible mistake. But alcohol was not freedom. It was a trap. It led to consequences I never wanted. I was expelled from two colleges. The thing I used to escape my fear ended up creating more fear, more shame, and more problems. For a long time, I believed I had to be perfect before I could ask for help. I thought recovery meant proving I was strong enough. But recovery does not ask you to be perfect. It asks you to be honest. It asks you to keep showing up.

The moment I chose differently

There was no lightning bolt. There was no single day when everything became easy. What I remember is a quiet realization: if I did not change, I could lose my son, my dignity, and my future. So I did the scariest thing I could do at the time. I went to my first recovery meeting. I was ashamed. I was afraid. I did not want anyone to see me that way. But I went anyway. And then I went again. And again. That is what recovery has been for me: thousands of tiny acts of courage. I have now been sober for more than seven years. I do not say that to impress anyone. I say it because I once believed I could never get free. I say it because someone else may need to hear that change is possible.youtube

What recovery looks like

Recovery is not just stopping drinking. It is learning a new way to live. I had to learn how to sit with discomfort instead of running from it. I had to learn that other people’s moods, opinions, and cold behavior are not always about me. I had to practice positive self-talk, even when it felt silly. I would look in the mirror and say kind things to myself—not because I believed them right away, but because I needed to start replacing the old voice that told me I was not enough. I also had to keep exposing myself to life. Avoidance felt safe, but it kept me small. Every time I entered a social situation, every time I spoke up, every time I did something that scared me, I took a little power back from anxiety. And I learned to live one day at a time. Not forever. Not “How will I do this for the rest of my life?” Just today. Just this meeting. Just this decision. Just this next honest step.youtube

Turning pain into purpose

Today, I use my story to help others. I visit jails and treatment centers every week to speak with women struggling with alcoholism and addiction. I teach them that they are more than their worst moments. I teach them how to stay sober, rebuild relationships, regulate their emotions, and believe they can rise again. I know what it feels like to think you are beyond help. I know what it feels like to be afraid of people and afraid of yourself at the same time. But I also know what it feels like to keep going when you do not feel strong. If you are struggling right now, please do not quit on yourself. Set one intention. Choose one small goal. Take one action that stretches you—even if your hands are shaking. You do not have to have it all figured out. You just have to take the next step. Recovery is possible. I am living proof.

Martha and Banche

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What is it like to walk every day with a cool human like Martha? My happiness began the day she arrived at the shelter. People were playing with the other dogs. No one played with me. I have a deformed back left paw: I am missing a “toe” and have an extra nail growing out of the top of my paw. The vet said it would not affect my ability to get around and it doesn’t hurt. I was scared and so lonely. She took me out of my cage and held me close. I was only three months old. The people at the shelter said I could not be adopted yet. That came three weeks later when they brought me to Pet Smart for an adoption event.

Martha was there waiting for me. She paid $200.00 to cover my shots and other stuff. I was so happy to go home with her. The shelter says I am a Labrador. But people think I am a mix breed, maybe even part pit bull. That was two years ago. What a life I live now with Martha and her older brother Al. I call him Uncle Al. Martha and I walk almost every day. She’s lost a lot of weight thanks to me. The things I see when I walk with Martha. We see chickens, goats, Bacon the Pig and Jaeger the horse. We go see Bessie the last Buffalo in our area sometimes, too. We have to cross a busy street to go see Bessie the Buffalo. And the people we meet. I know all the neighbors because they stop to talk to us. Many who ride in their cars stop to talk to us, too. We live very rural and the roads we walk on are dirt roads surrounded by woods and corn and soybean fields. So come on, walk with us. You’ll be so glad you did.

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