From Struggles to Strength: My Story

I thought perhaps I'd share a bit about me and my journey.

Nine years ago, on January 15, 2015, I declared powerlessness over alcohol. This was after I mentioned to my primary care doctor that I thought I might have a drinking problem but I drank for a few more day. I went to Dublin Springs for an assessment and was almost admitted for inpatient treatment except they don't take the insurance I have through OSU. I was wished good luck and sent home. A few days later, I walked into a Saturday morning AA meeting. I met some wonderfully patient people and, with the help of a sponsor, walked through the AA 12 Steps. Shortly after finishing those 12 steps, the unplanned happened which was my Mom had a stroke and died after a week at Riverside. To speed up my story, I took over as my Dad's power of attorney which was a HUGE learning experience. He passed away in September 2016. 

I truly believe if God hadn't intervened in my life so that I admitted I had an alcohol problem that I might not be here today writing this blog. I certainly wouldn't have taken two mission trips (Haiti and Guatemala), joined a walking club where I walked two half marathons, watched my son Jon III graduate high school in 2021, nor would I have joined Steadfast/Crossfit Plain City shortly after Jon's graduation. The people in my life have changed a bit over the last couple years yet I'm extremely blessed to have such a wonderful support system of friends and family. 

What I shared above has been on mind recently because my cell phone and personal laptop where purchased in early sobriety. My cell phone operating system is WAY out of date and can no longer be updated so buying a new phone is necessary. As for the laptop, I bought a cheap Android tablet a couple years ago and a case with a built in keyboard to replace it. I didn't use it much until I started blogging. I hoped to get an external monitor but it isn't supported so getting a new laptop might be on the horizon but the phone is priority. I started this blogging journey as a way to express creativity through writing but also to earn some money. I've been working to integrate Google Adsense into this blog and I am using Google Analytics to collect traffic information. I also have started sharing some of my affiliate marketing links. I've also been reading the different ways to share my blog across multiple platforms. Books and websites that I've read are from people with seven figure incomes who were able to quit their "9 to 5." While I am not setting out to quit my "7 to 3" my goal is to retire from OSU at the appropriate time, a little extra money for savings and retirement is nice. I made $20 between Branded Surveys and Survey Junkie over the past several weeks. I wanted to be transparent with my journey not just as a recovering alcoholic but also about my blogging and affiliate marketing side hustle (that's the cool kid term).

Update: I was denied by Google Adsense but I blog anyway.  I have a dedicated page for my affiliate marketing links for those who are interested. 

Resources:

Image from Women of Faith

Ryan Robinson Blogging Tools

Dedicated Affiliate Marketing Links