Sober some 5 years, 10 years ago she was pregnant by accident at 18.
She decided to have the baby alone, still drinking and taking pills.
1st DUI at 23. Daughter in pre-school. An accident resulted in her 2nd DUI before she was off probation from the first one. In jail, she did not know how she got there, and did not know if the people she hit were OK or not.
Emotionally drained, angry, she did not want to be a mom anymore. They did not want to let her out. The thought of hurting someone else deeply affected her though the people were actually unhrmed.
She found AA in jail. Haley's parents were very religious, but it was not for her. But the woman in AA who came to the jail told how bad she had gotten before AA and said you do not have to believe in God. That kept Haley coming back.
She did Steps 1, 2 and 3 and, found God in jail in a white-light experience.
She left jail and went to well over 90 meetings in 90 days, got there early and stayed late. She could not drive at the time.
Her first sponsor told someone else her inventory and sent it to Haley by mistake.
She was without a sponsor for 9 months. Then she asked an old-timer male to sponsor her, and he said "No" and he has been her sponsor ever since and can't fire her as he never agreed to sponsor her.
Haley never met the required sobriety time for service but kept getting volunteered for positions.
At 25, sober and working at a Waffle House, she wanted to get her daughter back. Then she met a lady from L.A. who showed her how to find her voice. Later that woman hired her but had to stop being her sponsor.
Haley now has a career, has her daughter back, and a wonderful relationship with her.
"Whatever you put in is what you are going to get out. I had to put recovery first."
Never missed a meeting - things always moved out the way to make it possible.
Her current position is DCM - what a journey.