Writer Celebrates 20 Years Sober After Church Basement Start

Twenty years ago today, Suzanne Harrington sat sweating and twitching in a church basement surrounded by strangers, unable to look anyone in the eye. That grey Monday afternoon in January 2005 became the pivot point that transformed her entire life.

The Irish journalist had hit rock bottom with alcohol addiction. When someone handed her a cup of tea at that 2pm meeting (the coffee was terrible, she notes with humor), she began listening to others share their stories.

What happened in that windowless room sparked a recovery journey spanning two decades. Harrington openly acknowledges her path included relapse along the way, making her ultimate success even more meaningful.

"As the years went by, my trust in myself went from non-existent to rock solid," Harrington reflects on her transformation. The woman who once couldn't maintain eye contact now shares her story publicly to help others struggling with addiction.

Her approach to sobriety has been deeply personal. Rather than following a single prescribed method, Harrington chose her own path through both addiction recovery and grief, recognizing that healing looks different for everyone.

The journey wasn't linear or easy. Recovery rarely is. But Harrington kept showing up, kept working on herself, and kept moving forward even when she stumbled.

Today, she stands as living proof that long-term sobriety is possible. Two decades might seem like an eternity when you're on day one, sitting in that church basement for the first time. But time passes one day at a time, and those days add up to years, then decades.

Why This Inspires

Harrington's willingness to share both her struggles and her relapses offers something precious to others facing addiction: honest hope. Too many recovery stories gloss over the hard parts or present sobriety as a straight line upward. Real recovery is messier, more human, and ultimately more inspiring because it's achievable.

Her transformation from someone who couldn't trust herself to someone with "rock solid" self-confidence shows what sustained commitment to recovery can build. That shift represents millions of small choices made over 7,300 days.

By marking this milestone publicly, Harrington extends a lifeline to anyone sitting in their own version of that church basement right now, wondering if they can do this. Her answer, earned through twenty years of work, is yes.