“Your job right now is to simply do the next right thing.”
Lala entered rehab in May 2023 after her second DUI and years of struggling
to control her drinking.
She had tried relying on willpower before. This time, she decided to follow
every suggestion she was given and give herself the best possible chance to
get sober in rehab and stay sober afterward.
Today, she writes about habits, routines, recovery, and intentional living
through The Reset by La Co.
She considers the life she has now, including her home, dog Cinn, upcoming
marriage, and renewed sense of self, among the greatest gifts of sobriety.
When and How Did You Get Sober?
I got sober in May 2023 when I entered rehab for my first and, God willing,
last time.
It happened shortly after my second DUI arrest.
In the months before that arrest, I could usually string together only a week
or two without drinking.
I thought willpower would be enough.
It wasn’t.
When I arrived at rehab, I did not really have a plan. Everything happened
quickly after the arrest.
My parents, friends, and boyfriend, who is now my fiancé, all encouraged me
to go.
I showed up scared, uneasy, and alone.
But during those 28 days, I learned more than I expected.
I absorbed as much information as I could and treated every suggestion like a
rule.
Attend 90 meetings in 90 days?
On it.
Get a sponsor?
Absolutely.
Change people, places, and things?
I was already making a list.
Find a home group after leaving rehab?
I showed up at a meeting at 7 a.m. the very next morning.
I did not want to leave my sobriety to chance.
What Was the Turning Point in Your Decision to Get Sober?
The obvious answer would be my second DUI.
But the deeper turning point was realizing that I could no longer hide behind
the idea that I was a high-functioning alcoholic.
For years, I focused on the “high-functioning” part and ignored the rest.
The signs of alcohol dependence had already appeared in my early 20s.
I needed alcohol to steady my hands during the day. I rarely went a full day
without drinking.
Even when I believed I had things under control, I still drank every day.
Alcohol had also become my way of avoiding feelings I did not want to face.
I spent years trying to appear easygoing and unaffected.
I wanted to be the girl who did not get hurt or need anything from anyone.
Instead of admitting when I felt hurt, lonely, insecure, or simply wanted to
feel loved, I drank.
When Success Made It Easier to Ignore My Drinking
From the outside, my life still looked successful.
I did well in school, found a good job, went to graduate school, and later
landed an even better-paying position.
So I kept asking myself:
How could I possibly be an alcoholic?
Eventually, the evidence became impossible to ignore.
My reputation as a reliable employee started to disappear.
My relationship was close to falling apart, and my friends were exhausted
from constantly worrying about me.
The second DUI did not create the problem.
It simply forced me to acknowledge what had already been true for years.
What Surprised You About Getting Sober?
I was surprised by how quickly uncomfortable sober moments passed.
Before sobriety, I could not imagine sitting through dinner with friends,
attending holiday gatherings, celebrating something, or dealing with even
minor inconveniences without alcohol.
Every sober first felt enormous.
I would wonder:
How am I supposed to have fun? How do I even act?
Then five or ten minutes would pass.
Suddenly, I would realize that I was simply part of the group.
Nobody was obsessing over the fact that I was not drinking.
Most people were focused on enjoying themselves.
And the best part came the following morning.
I remembered everything.
I did not have to wonder what I had said or try to reconstruct another
blackout.
I had been completely present.
A few minutes of awkwardness felt like a small price to pay for waking up able
to participate fully in my life.
What Has Been the Biggest Challenge in Sobriety?
Eventually, the pink cloud of early sobriety faded and life became difficult
again.
For me, that happened about a year after I stopped drinking.
A family member went through a crisis, and suddenly I found myself in the
middle of it.
I did not feel prepared.
For the first time in a long time, I felt that familiar instinct to escape.
I could tell that my sobriety was becoming vulnerable.
Then one of the sayings I had heard repeatedly in recovery came back to me:
Ask for help.
So I called one of my closest friends from the rooms.
She gave me space to be vulnerable.
I had spent almost 48 hours running on adrenaline without stopping to process
what was happening.
I cried.
I admitted that I did not know whether I could handle everything alone.
Then I asked for help.
An hour later, she was at my door.
We worked through the crisis together, and she stayed until I felt safe
again.
That experience taught me something I continue to use whenever life becomes
difficult:
I do not have to handle everything alone.
What Are the Biggest Gifts of Sobriety?
Sobriety has given me more than I could have imagined.
Some gifts came naturally.
My relationship became more stable. I became a reliable employee again. I
became a more trustworthy friend and daughter.
Other gifts were bigger and easier to see.
I bought a house.
I got a dog.
Now I have a wedding in my future.
Sobriety also gave me friendships I never expected, including one of the
closest friendships of my life.
But perhaps the greatest gift has been discovering who I actually am.
How Sobriety Helped Me Rediscover Myself
For much of my life, I operated on autopilot.
I followed the milestones I thought I was supposed to follow.
Go to school.
Get a job.
Earn promotions.
Keep moving.
I rarely stopped to ask what I actually wanted or what made me happy.
At the same time, I spent enormous amounts of energy numbing myself instead
of getting to know myself.
Sobriety gave me space to do the opposite.
I started becoming curious about what genuinely interested me.
At first, that meant simple things like long walks, puzzles, and books.
Gradually, those small interests made room for bigger ones.
I dusted off my keyboard and started writing again.
Then I put on my running shoes and trained for a 10K.
These were passions I had enjoyed when I was younger, before alcohol crowded
them out.
Without alcohol taking up so much space in my life, I finally had room to ask
myself a simple question:
What do I actually like?
I am still finding out.
What Advice Would You Give Someone Newly Sober?
Do not become overwhelmed by the idea of forever.
You do not need to know today how you will toast at your wedding or how you
will cope with every difficult thing that may happen years from now.
Your job right now is much smaller.
Simply do the next right thing.
Get up.
Get through today.
Accept help.
Build slowly.
Over time, those small choices begin to add up.
Eventually, they can create a life that looks better than anything you could
have imagined while you were still drinking.
About Lala
Lala is a writer exploring habits, routines, recovery, and intentional living.
She writes The Reset by La Co., where she reflects on building a meaningful life in recovery.
What Was Your Next Right Thing?
Sobriety can feel overwhelming when we try to solve the rest of our lives all
at once.
Sometimes progress begins with one meeting, one phone call, one honest
conversation, or simply getting through today without drinking.
What was one small choice that made a difference in your recovery?
Share it in the comments. Your experience may help someone else who is still
trying to figure out their next step.
Want to share your sobriety story?
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Reach out to our newsletter manager at
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for submission guidelines.
We welcome and celebrate all paths to getting and staying alcohol-free.