From the Depths to Purpose: MyJourney in Long-Term Recovery
By: Lisa Pecoraro, Peer Recovery Coach — Family Team, Serenity Recovery
Connection
My name is Lisa, and I am a woman in long-term recovery from alcoholism, substance use disorder, and trauma. Today, my recovery means waking up with gratitude. It means showing up—for myself and for others—with a clear mind and an open heart. It means living proof that recovery from addiction is possible, healing is real, and no one is ever truly alone.
If my journey can offer even a spark of hope to someone still struggling with addiction, then every hard step I’ve taken has been worth it.
Learning to Care for Myself So I Could Help Others
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in long-term recovery is this: we have to take care of ourselves so we have the capacity to help others.
A family member once said in a CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) session, “We cannot set ourselves on fire to keep others warm.” That stuck with me. Recovery isn’t about abstinence. It’s about building a life rooted in self-care, boundaries, and sustainable healing.
Addiction Doesn’t Discriminate
I am a recovering addict and alcoholic. I drank and used substances for 23 years. Today, I have nearly 24 years of sobriety—but I will never say I am “recovered.” Substance use disorder is a chronic, though treatable, condition. My sobriety is a lifelong commitment, and I will always be in recovery.
I am a college-educated woman from a middle-class family. Addiction didn’t care. Substance use disorder doesn’t discriminate based on education, income, or
background. It affects people from all walks of life. Even now, I know I am one drink or one drug away from falling back into that pit of despair. For me, addiction felt like being trapped in a deep, dark, slippery well, looking up and believing there was no way out. It felt impossible. It felt hopeless.
The Reality of My Substance Use Disorder
My substance use began at 16. It started with alcohol, then escalated to alcohol with speed, then cocaine, then crack. My addiction turned me into a tornado, destroying everything and everyone in my path. There were rehabs and relapses. Lost careers. DUIs. Arrests. County jail. A suicide attempt.
I told myself I was a “functional alcoholic.” But the truth looked very different. I missed work because of hangovers. I took my kids to school late. I forgot to pick up my toddler from daycare. One night, I left my young children alone for hours while I went to find drugs.
Addiction cost me marriages, a career I was proud of, and nearly my relationship with my daughters.
That’s what substance use disorder does—it takes and takes until there’s almost nothing left.
The Moment Everything Changed
I was on probation from my first DUI when I got my second, both involving wrecks. I could have killed someone.
It was my fifth arrest that finally broke through. I was miserable. I was sick of being sick.
I went back to rehab, determined to do something different. After treatment, I made a choice that changed my life: instead of taking probation with an interlock device, I chose to serve jail time.
That decision saved my life.
In rehab, I began working a 12-step recovery program. In county jail, I continued doing the work. When I came out, I was stronger than I had ever been.
Looking back, that fifth arrest, the moment I thought my life was falling apart, was actually the moment my life began to change for the better, forever.
Finding Purpose Through Peer Recovery Support
After rebuilding my life and spending 12 years in high-tech manufacturing, I was laid off. That unexpected turn led me into human services, working as a job coach for individuals with disabilities and mental health challenges.
Throughout this time, I felt a strong calling to assist those facing addiction recovery. I dedicated years to researching how to become a peer recovery coach or a peer specialist, anything that would enable me to give back.
Finally, I made the decision. I found Serenity Recovery Connection through my daughter, who attended classes
there. When I saw a recovery coach job posting, I applied immediately.
Today, I am beyond grateful to be part of the recovery community and the team at SRC. I’ve completed Recovery Coach Academy, Professionalism, Ethics, and Harm Reduction training, and I am working toward my CPFS certification.
After 14 years of thinking about it, I am finally doing the work I was meant to do.
The Power of Recovery Community and Support
Recovery is not something we do alone. Being part of a recovery community, having peer support, family support, and access to recovery resources made all the difference in my journey. Connection is what turns
survival into healing.
That’s why peer recovery coaching matters. That’s why recovery support services matter. Because when someone reaches down and offers a hand, it reminds us that climbing out of that dark well is possible.
Why I Do This Work
Today, I strive to be that hand. I want to help others find their way out of substance use disorder. I want to walk beside them on their recovery journey. I want them to know:
We are not statistics. We are not moral failures. We are people.
We are parents. We are children. We are friends and coworkers. We are people who want the same things everyone else wants—to be loved, to be valued, to belong.
Recovery is possible. People can change. I am living proof.
