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Shelley’s Recovery Story
It’s never too late.
I was in my mid-twenties when I came to realize that I was an alcoholic. This came about in a number of ways.
I remember stumbling into a bathroom at a club and seeing my reflection in the mirror. I recognized her; I was my mother all over again. The slack jaw, the disheveled hair, the glassy eyes and the stumbling gait of a drunken woman. Shamed, I turned away.
Knowing something was wrong with me, I attended a counsellor’s office. As I waited, I came across a literature piece called ‘20 Questions’ to determine if I was an alcoholic. This was hard evidence of what I most feared. Still, I ignored that revelation, tucking it away for later.
Seeing an ad in the local paper about a talk on ‘Adult Children of Alcoholics’ I knew I qualified so I went with great interest. What I didn’t know was how many emotions would be kicked up that day. I desperately couldn’t wait to get out of there to drown them out with alcohol.
I finally gained traction in my recovery after several failed attempts over about three years. My descent into alcoholism was swift and I finally had that last drink that represented my bottom in October, 1995. In my early recovery I made big decisions for my life that have had long lasting impacts. I wish I had had someone there to ask the hard questions, to help me find my own voice and find the courage to speak it and to live authentically. My deepest hope is to be that person, for the woman entering recovery, to help her find her own pathway to recovery, to find her voice and have the courage to speak it. It’s never too late.
Professional Bio
Recovery Coach and Trainer
Canadian Certified Recovery Coach (CCRC)
Recovery Coach Professional (CCAR)
As a person in continuous recovery from alcohol addiction since 1995, Shelley Shadow understands the unique pitfalls of thinking of which someone in recovery can succumb. She also has lived experience of generational trauma as an Indigenous person whose mother attended residential school for a decade of her childhood. Shelley continues on her journey to reclaim her Cree culture through language learning and exploring indigenous practices.
Shelley attended the Recovery Coach Academy offered by Still Here as presented by CCAR (Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery). Through this training, she continued to work with others in recovery, as well as becoming a Co-Trainer/Presenter of the Recovery Coach Training with Kevin Diakiw and Dr. Ray Baker. She is a Recovery Coach Mentor and now one of the first CCRC-designated coaches in Canada.
“To provide a positive relational space for women to be encouraged to find their pathway forward with clarity of purpose, being empowered and trusting their decisions and abilities with increasing confidence and sense of worth.”