Article October 15, 2007 Issue

The breakthroughs that are possible

Thoughts—and a life—transformed.

BY KAY KEELOR

HOME wasn't a happy place for me. In fact, my life felt so empty and vulnerable that I turned to alcohol as an escape. By the time I was 13 years old, I was drinking every day. To say my life and thoughts were out of control would be an understatement. Every aspect of my life was a challenge.

When I was growing up, my mom suffered from some form of mental illness, and she rarely wanted to leave the house. Actually, she often lived in the basement for weeks on end. As a result, she and I didn't have a normal relationship—we never went shopping or out to eat together as other kids I knew did with their moms. I also couldn't be involved in after-school activities. I felt I had no choice but to live the same secluded existence she did. And since my stepdad held two jobs, I never saw him, either.

From the outset, alcohol was an all-consuming attraction. I drank in the morning before school and at night, any time I could get away with it. I became accustomed to being drunk—or at least tipsy—all the time.

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