Former WWE star Eva Marie recently wrote a feature for InStyle talking about her struggles with alcoholism; you can read a few highlights below:
I’m an alcoholic. I have relapsed, destroyed relationships, hurt my family, and disappointed myself numerous times. I will be an alcoholic for the rest of my life. The fact that I have been sober for almost five years doesn’t mean that I am “cured,” it doesn’t mean that I had a drinking phase in my 20s, and it doesn’t mean that I can have a few drinks now and again or just drink in moderation. There are no shades of gray when it comes to alcoholism—it’s black and white. Either I am an alcoholic or I am not. Working a program doesn’t mean my past magically disappears and everything is fine. Unfortunately, nothing of note in life is that simple or easy. Yet the road to my recovery did start with a very simple admission: I am an alcoholic. And admitting that truth saved my life.
Eva Marie (writing under the name Natalie Eva Marie) continued, talking about how her life has changed:
Now, I am married, have multiple thriving businesses, a career in entertainment that I could only have dreamed of, and live in a beautiful home with my husband. But here’s the thing: I am still an alcoholic. This fairytale life is always one drink away from shattering. That’s why I attend 6 a.m. AA meetings multiple times a week and do weekly step work with my sponsor. It’s also why, at meetings, I’m always on the lookout for women to sponsor myself. It is work, and it is time consuming, but it is the best change I’ve ever made in my life. Like I said earlier, it’s very black and white.
