Sober 9 years since 2/8/2008, Joanne is a delightful speaker with a great story of the two faces of alcoholism - the one in public and the one in the mirror.
Her father was a genius who was given his diploma by the Queen Mother, and worked for NASA and Lockheed.
She did not drink as a child nor seriously until she was a flight attendant out of college. It started innocently with a small bottle of wine for each day of a trip. Then it became two per day. Later, her suitcase rattled when it rolled.
Within three years she wanted not to drink but drank against her will.
"And then I start drinking and I become this other person that I am so ashamed of."
She had a small child. She contributed to and was a member of M.A.D.D. though she was often drinking and driving. She did many embarrassing things while drinking.
She changed her hair color, length and style because she wanted out of her skin. She tried pets including a python and designer chickens she kept in the garage in the suburbs.
Then the series of interesting rehab trips began that ended on the third when she was in Statesboro, GA without phone or wallet and called her husband to pick her up early and he said,
"My lawyer advises me that I don't come and get you".
Even with all that it took her several attempts before the Program stuck though she did not believe it would work for her.
Apparently, she did not need to believe the Program would work for the Program to work as long as she worked the Program.
Action is the key.
She spends the second half of her talk focused on recovery.