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I Never Thought I'd Stop Drinking. Then I Found a Recovery Program That Got Me
You probably know how the story goes: you hit rock bottom, finally decide you need help, and start trying to get your life back together.
That’s how it went for me.
I’d been drinking every single night for three years. It started as a glass of wine to unwind after work, then two, then a bottle. By the end, I was drinking before work just to stop my hands from shaking.
I’d known for a while that I had a problem. But every time I tried to quit on my own, the anxiety was so overwhelming that I’d be back to drinking within 48 hours.
So I reached out to my brother and asked him to help me at least drink less than I was. That’s when things got complicated… Every time I got to the 48-hour mark without drinking, I wanted a bottle so bad that I’d get scarily angry at my brother for stopping me.
It didn’t take long for him to give up helping, and who could blame him?
But instead of leaving altogether like I thought he would… he sought professional help from rehabilitation centres. I was more than happy to get treatment if it meant I wouldn’t treat anyone as badly as I treated my brother.
By that point, I’d started using medical marijuana to help manage the anxiety and make it through those first few days without drinking. My doctor had prescribed it, and it was the only thing keeping me from going completely off the rails.
I thought being honest about it would be part of getting help. I was wrong.
"We Can't Help You If You're Using Cannabis"
The first three programs we called asked the same questions:
- What are you using?
- How much do you take?
- How often do you use it?
When I mentioned that I’d been using medical marijuana to help manage my anxiety while trying to cut back on alcohol, the conversation changed immediately.
Suddenly, the person on the phone went from supportive and caring… to serious and judgmental.
She said things like “We have a zero-tolerance policy for all substances,” “You’ll need to be completely clean before we can admit you,” and “Cannabis use indicates you’re not ready for recovery.”
I tried to explain that my doctor had prescribed it specifically to help me taper off alcohol. And that it was the only reason I’d managed to go more than a few days without drinking…
But it didn’t matter. To them, cannabis was just another substance. And all they saw was that I wasn’t serious about getting sober.
And that wasn’t just 1 treatment facility… That was the first THREE.
The fourth program told me I could enroll… but only if I stopped using cannabis immediately and committed to complete abstinence from everything.
Once I heard that, I hung up and cried. Because I knew what would happen if I quit cannabis cold turkey. My anxiety would spiral, I’d panic, and I’d go straight back to drinking a bottle of vodka every night just to feel normal.
I felt isolated. The programs that were supposed to help me were asking me to choose between two bad options: keep drinking and stay in denial, or quit everything at once and almost certainly fail again.
Then Someone Told Me About The Healthier Choice Recovery
A friend of mine who worked in healthcare mentioned THC when I told her about what I was trying to do. She said they had a different approach and that they didn’t automatically disqualify people for using medical cannabis.
At this point, I was extremely skeptical. I’d heard that before, and had run into the same wall multiple times.
But I called anyway, because what did I have to lose?
To my surprise… When I got on the phone, the intake coordinator didn’t lecture me. She didn’t tell me I needed to quit cannabis to prove I was serious, or anything like that.
She just asked questions like “Why are you using cannabis?” “Is it prescribed?” “How does it affect your drinking?” and “What happens when you don’t use it?”
After I told her the truth, expecting to be turned away… she said something I’ll never forget.
She said, “It sounds like cannabis is actually helping you. Let’s talk about how we can support you in addressing the alcohol use without taking away what’s obviously working for you.”
I almost cried again. But this time it was tears of relief.
For the first time, someone was treating me like a whole person instead of just checking boxes.
They Actually Listened to What I Needed
Unlike the other treatment facilities I’d called, The Healthier Choice Recovery didn’t have a one-size-fits-all rulebook.
They looked at my specific situation. And instead of making me quit everything and white-knuckle my way through withdrawal, they helped me create a plan that made sense for my life.
We focused entirely on the alcohol, as that was the thing that was costing me my relationships and health.
And I thought what happened next wasn’t real.
Without the pressure to quit everything at once, I could actually focus on the thing that mattered: not drinking.
I didn’t have to spend every ounce of willpower fighting myself to stay away from alcohol.
Recovery Finally Started to Feel Possible
Within the first month at THC, everything changed.
For the first time in years, I went weeks without drinking. Not because I was forcing myself or gritting my teeth through cravings, but because I was actually learning how to manage my anxiety and stress in healthier ways.
I wasn’t self-medicating with alcohol anymore. Instead, I had tools and support that met me where I was in my journey.
I had people who understood that recovery doesn’t look the same for everyone.
And I think the best part was that I didn’t feel like I was failing every time I used my prescribed cannabis.
At other programs, I would’ve been kicked out or shamed for that. But at THC, it was just part of my recovery plan.
They treated me with compassion instead of judgment. And that made me want to keep trying, even on the hard days.
I'm Six Months Sober from Alcohol Now
I won’t pretend it’s been easy. There are still days when my brain tries to convince me that just 1 drink won’t hurt… But I haven’t had a single drink in six months. And I didn’t even think that was possible for me.
I thought I was someone who just couldn’t get sober. That I’d tried and failed too many times. That maybe I wasn’t strong enough or disciplined enough.
But the truth is, I just hadn’t found the right kind of support.
The Healthier Choice Recovery didn’t try to force me into a mold that didn’t fit.
They met me where I was and helped me build a path forward that actually worked for my life.
I wasn’t shamed, kicked out, or discriminated for my medical cannabis use, which is probably the reason I made it to this point.
If You've Been Turned Away or Told You're Not Ready, Don’t Give Up
If you’re struggling with alcohol or other substances and you’ve been rejected by programs because of medical cannabis use, I want you to know: you’re not broken, and you’re not doing recovery wrong.
You just haven’t found the right support yet.
I spent months thinking I was hopeless and that recovery wasn’t for people like me. But after discovering THC, I know now that I was wrong.
There are programs out there that understand recovery isn’t black and white… and you can, in fact, address the habits that are truly harming you without being forced to give up everything that’s helping you cope.
The Healthier Choice Recovery gave me that chance. And six months later, I’m healthier, more stable, and more hopeful than I’ve been in years.
If you’re looking for a program that will actually listen to your story and meet you where you are, I highly recommend you give The Healther Choice Recovery a shot.