The 2023 Speakers
Alek:
I was born and raised in Clovis CA and come from a generationally fractured family with a long pedigree of Alcoholics. I started drinking and using at age 12 and got sober August 20, 2018, at the age of 25. My story consists of a toxic and chaotic childhood, while raised in the Clovis Unified School District. I was an accomplished athlete all throughout my childhood heading towards a college career in two sports. My drug addiction led me to multiple run ins with the law. In my recovery I have succeeded as a firefighting and a Covid paramedic, administering the same drugs I was addicted to. After getting married I left my life in Clovis and pursued a new career as a High School Varsity Football Head Coach. My first AA meeting was at 15 years old, and I have never been to a bar. AA and recovery have been present in most of my life. The real beginning of my sobriety was when I went to Teen Challenge at age 19, after getting kicked off my college football team. After I completed the program at Teen Challenge, I started going to AA and Celebrate Recovery and have not looked back since. I have a sponsor who knows he’s my sponsor. I go to meetings regularly. I have commitment meetings. And I do my best to remember my primary purpose, which is to help another alcoholic/addict and to be of maximum service to God and his children. I am honored to have been asked to speak at this years Recovery Summit. |
Monica:
My sobriety date is September 12, 2018. I’ll tell you a little bit about who I used to be while in active addiction and how I am now. Growing up here in Fresno I had a great childhood. I took part in sports and dance, and school came easy for me. I have loving parents and two amazing older brothers. I say all this not to boast, but rather to show that the disease of addiction can affect anyone. Like many teenagers, I started drinking on weekends in high school. The truth is that from my first drink I knew something had happened. I felt a change in me, and I liked it. It was during my junior year that I was introduced to prescription opiates and became addicted to harder drugs. After graduation I moved to San Diego for college, where drinking and using progressed to a daily norm. I could not function without something in my system. After many failed attempts at sobriety, including many treatment centers, I gave up. I had no hope. I could not stay sober. The insanity of my disease continued for almost two decades. Finally at my lowest point I SURRENDERED, admitting that I could not do it on my own. I walked into a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, holding the hand of my two-year-old son, willing to do whatever it took to stay sober. I followed the suggestions given to me, such as getting a sponsor and working the steps. There I learned that I was powerless over addiction, but that there was a Power greater than myself that could restore me to sanity. Today my life is full. I am sober and I continue to work a program of recovery as outlined in the AA Big Book. |
Brian:
I was born and raised in Fresno/Clovis, California. I graduated from Buchanan High School and Fresno State. My drugs of choice were Opiates, Fentanyl and Heroin. My sobriety date is January 31st, 2022, but the day I hit the lottery was February 4th, 2022. That was the day I found GOD. Recovery rooms like Sierra Fellowship and Alcoholics Anonymous kept the lights on, but ultimately it was the fellowship and unity of Heroin Anonymous that made me feel welcomed and loved. In the rooms I was taught the principals of FORGIVENESS over RESENTMENT, to LOVE ALL and FEAR NONE, and above all the Virtue of GRATITUDE. I want to give a special thanks to First Street Church and Bethany Church for being instrumental in my recovery. Sometimes GOD takes you on a journey you didn’t know you needed, only to bring you everything you ever wanted. Trust the plan! |
Catherine:
My name is Catherine, and I am a native of St. Louis, Missouri. My sobriety date is January 27th, 2012. I have twin sons that I raised in Hermosa Beach, California. I held a marketing and sales positions in the entertainment business in Los Angeles for over twenty years. I received my last DUI in Bakersfield, California where I lived for ten years, before making Fresno my home one and a half years ago. After many attempts and relapses, I have been able to remain sober one day at a time, with the help and guidance of the 12 Steps, the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous, The Mission at Kern County, and the God of my understanding. I have several years of sobriety, and I am looking forward to sharing my Experience, Strength, and HOPE, at this year’s Recovery Summit! |