09 June 2011

Anniversaries

Twenty-three years ago, on June 9, 1988, I went to rehab. It was a bit like the Amy Winehouse song: my family tried to get me to go, I said no, no, no, but I changed my mind because I didn't want to spend my life alone. I spent thirty-three days at a bare bones, no celebrity-frills treatment center, followed by eight weeks at a Salvation Army halfway house. Then I made a series of particularly bad decisions, but someone must have been looking out for me,  because I didn't use. As of today, I have spent exactly half my life clean.

The Captain and I dated while I was using, and he hung around after I got clean, even though I broke his heart. More than once. Two years after I stopped using drugs, on June 9, 1990, we got married. So, today is my double-anniversary.

Each year, I remember that the blackest of my days eventually brought me to my most glorious, and I am grateful. It's very, very difficult to battle addiction. More people fail at staying clean than succeed. I celebrate my success each year with the greatest gift it has brought me: the Captain. Without him, nothing else would have been possible.


That was then...



...this is now.

And every day in between has been a lovely gift.

14 comments:

  1. Congratulations Megan - on both anniversaries! 23 years....one day at a time. Incredible!

    - #3 from 10 river park.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's so amazing. what an incredible story. And the Captain is pretty special to stick around and stick by you through all of that. I'm so pleased for you that you have spent all these years clean and have such a full and loving life. Someone was definitely looking out for you and continues to do so. Happy anniversaries!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Happy, happy days, Megan. Wishing you and yours all the best.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous9.6.11

    Are you sure we don't have the same guy? Because mine stuck around too, and I was NOT pleasant, nor sober, nor... well, never mind, you understand. And apparently so do our guys.
    Happy Happy Anniversaries to you both!
    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  5. london betty9.6.11

    Congratulations! Addiction is a bitch, great to have the love of a great person to support you whilst you whip that bitch every day.
    But how ever great the Captain is (and he does sound special)he's obviously there 'cos he sees something amazing in you too!
    Have a fantastic day, Happy Anniversaries.:)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Happy, happy anniversaries to you both. Your post made me cry. We all have so much to be grateful for.
    I heard a song this weeks by Dawes for the first time called "A Little Bit of Everything" which I think said so much to me as my Andrew & I reach our 20th this month. Go get it from itunes. As non-newlyweds we look at our settled lives more realistically & gratefully than we did starting out. It's a little bit of everything... love you both and congratulations.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ps, regarding today's fail about baseball game snacks: did you ever see the episode about this on Everyone Loves Raymond? Classic :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Happy anniversary Megan!! It's a wonderful story. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Um, you LOOK THE SAME in both pictures, lady. Very gorgeous!

    Now that my automatic superficial interpretation is outta the way, CONGRATULATIONS that is a spectacular journey to be proud of!

    also, I love that Amy Winehouse song. When I used to run (about two years ago) I listened to it over and over...that and Pink. I like me some angry women lol

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh, look how gorgeous you both are! Congratulations to you, on both. The Captain is obviously a man of great fortitude and intelligence.

    Happy, happy.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love this post. Congratulations on a double anniversary!

    PS One kind of snack? I mean come on, Mom. What is this? Amateur night? ;)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Okay. This time you flat-out made me cry!! Thank you for both photos. They are such a gift!

    You are very lucky to have had the Captain by your side all of these years. But I want to be sure that you are properly thanked for marrying our beloved Captain. He's the very best of men. Which is why he has more than earned the right to have you for his wife and partner!

    ReplyDelete
  13. @Lisa: Welcome, neighbor! The other day, I was telling one of the boys how I fell off my bike when I was nine, and forgot to put my hands down. When I got up, my teeth were dangling, my lip was bleeding, and we all ran to Mrs. Mills' house for help! Time flies-

    To All: Thank you for the congratulations! I do want to clarify that I don't look EXACTLY the same, because I am normally in glasses and casual wear. However, the Captain is contractually obligated to don a tuxedo in all publicly displayed photographs; hence the similarity. Standing next to a guy in formalwear melts the years away.

    @Sarah: You would think, after all these years involved in youth sports, that I would have a greater appreciation for going the extra mile. I think I wouldn't have looked so lame if the snack Dad before me hadn't brought three flavors of Gatorade, and two types of cookies! Suck-up.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I really admire you--overcoming that stuff, that's like having a PhD in survival. And I admire the Captain too. :-) And to think the prize was five kids! Woo! ??!!

    Happy Anniversary!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for reading! Unlike other Diaries, this one isn't private. Feel free to share your thoughts. Politely, of course.