Mother of 8 shares secrets to sobriety in hopes of helping others

Mother of 8 shares secrets to sobriety in hopes of helping others

Amy Liz Harrison shared an open and honest conversation with us about the power of getting and staying sober.

A mother of eight is sharing her secrets to sobriety, hoping to help others.  Amy Liz Harrison shared an open and honest conversation with us about the power of getting and staying sober.

She’s a busy mother of eight children ranging in ages from 3 to 19 years old. She's enjoying motherhood now more than ever before, after remaining sober for ten years, but it was a long road to get there.

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"The first time, I was sort of sent to a treatment center by my husband. And then, that was the problem for me was I didn't own it for myself, it wasn't my decision. And then I got a DUI, about two weeks after getting home from treatment, and at that point, I was ready! Spending the night in jail really helped me wake up to say you know, I have a problem. I'm not controlling, this is controlling me, and I have to try for myself," explains Amy.                    

Amy says learning how to be open about her drinking problem made a big difference in her healing process.

"That was the biggest deal for me was I hid and I denied and I just couldn't picture my life without alcohol. And if I had any clue how wonderful sobriety was going to be, I would have at least tried much sooner than I did to get sober, and the life waiting for me on the other side was incredible," says Amy.

No matter what the problem is in your life, Amy encourages you to not keep it inside. Facing her problems and sharing them with others helped set her free.

"We all have our struggles and some are easier to talk about than others because they're more acceptable. And this one is a tough one, especially as a mom, because you feel like, if I come out and say this, then ‘so and so's’ kids won't want to play with my kids and it becomes this mind spin. But the truth is, we're only as sick as our secrets, and so for me, as soon as I just let all that go, those chains started to break and I started to experience, the joy of actually discovering a new version of myself," smiles Amy.

Amy worked through her emotions by writing her situation down and then turning it into a book. She compares her journey of getting sober with childbirth.

"I've given birth eight times, and the one thing that sticks out in my mind is painful. It is painful to give birth. It is painful to get sober. But of course, the reward is so worth it, and it takes work, there's no getting out of it once you're kind of in it. As you start to see, once you have that little newborn in your arms, and once you start feeling the freedom that comes with sobriety, this is the liberation that was worth the price I paid," reflects Amy.

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Amy's youngest children never experienced her rough patch with alcohol, and she says she feared it had destroyed her older children, but she says it has actually opened up a conversation of life's lessons.

"I've been able to have super open conversations with them about drugs and alcohol. My oldest daughter, who's the one who really remembers that day of getting pulled over and then being driven home by a neighbor, she actually has a tattoo on her forearm that has my sobriety date on it. Totally her idea. I said, are you sure, and she said to me, you know I get my determination and grit from you Mom, and your story is my story, and I'm trying not to cry when I say that, but it's very moving. The new chapter that the relationships I have with my kids has revealed, it's just precious, and it's open, and it's honest and I never would have that if I was still drinking," says Amy.

Amy's memoir, "Eternally Expecting: A Mom of Eight Gets Sober and Gives Birth to a Whole New Life", comes out April 15.  

For more information on her journey:  https://www.amylizharrison.com