When 38-year-old Stephanie Miller thinks back on the number of times she narrowly escaped death, she almost can’t believe it. From driving while dangerously intoxicated to an emergency room visit due to a concussion from an alcohol-related seizure, it’s a miracle Stephanie is alive to tell her story. But how—and why—can someone begin to explain surviving these incidents?
“God wasn’t done with me. There’s a reason I’m still here,” explained Stephanie.
Today, it’s clear that God had bigger plans for Stephanie, but before she came to Dove House for help, her future appeared uncertain at best, and Stephanie believed it was more likely to end tragically. For years, she managed her excessive drinking by building up a tolerance for alcohol. She was married, owned her own business as a hairstylist and had what appeared to be a fun and social lifestyle.
“From the outside looking in, I had everything you could ever want,” Stephanie said. “But I didn’t know what role I played in my own life.”
The truth was, underneath the surface, the foundation of Stephanie’s life was crumbling. She felt trapped in a loveless marriage, she struggled to operate her business and her nights (and days) of drinking were taking a serious toll on her body, showing up in life-threatening seizures.
In 2019, she and her husband got divorced, and from that point, it became nearly impossible to hide behind the façade of the beautiful life everyone thought Stephanie had created. Her drinking escalated, her health declined and her employment as a hairstylist ended.
Following one emergency room visit in 2021, the ER doctor delivered news that stopped Stephanie’s parents in their tracks and sent them searching for options to help their daughter.
“The doctor told my parents I should be dead,” said Stephanie. “He said I wouldn’t make it to Christmas if I didn’t stop drinking.”
It was this honest and heart-wrenching conversation that catapulted her parents into action. They reached out to Dove House to see if she could get a bed, and although no beds were available at the time, she was added to the waitlist.
On July 16, 2021, she was admitted to residential treatment. Stephanie went willingly, but she had no plans to stay longer than what was required—90 days.
“I decided I would do 90 days and then I’m done,” Stephanie recalled. “But then as I continued in the program, I kept wanting to see what was next.”
In the blink of an eye, Stephanie had been at Dove House well past 90 days. She even decided to enroll in a 12-week fellowship program led by an organization called HopeAnchor & Crew. At first, she didn’t know much about it other than she would be making bracelets, but it sounded interesting, and she loved creating so she signed up. This turned out to be another pivotal decision in Stephanie’s journey.
“I fell in love with the program,” exclaimed Stephanie. “Being a hairstylist my whole life, the fellowship gave me a creative outlet to work with my hands, plus it was faith-based and allowed me to deepen my connection with my Higher Power.”
The HopeAnchor & Crew fellowship allowed Stephanie to grow her faith, finetune her eye-hand coordination, build self-esteem and learn a new skill. She completed the fellowship and was getting closer to also completing her time at Dove House. Then something magical happened—a job with HopeAnchor & Crew became available, and Stephanie was encouraged to apply. She got the job and started on January 10, 2022, just eight days before leaving Dove House.
Stephanie is now nine months sober and living a life of joy and fulfillment, something for which she thanks God and Dove House.
“Because of Dove House, I felt confident that I had the tools I needed to take on this job and maintain my sobriety. Dove House is a gift,” she added.
It’s not lost on Stephanie how fortunate she is, not only to be alive but to be living this life. She has big plans for her future, and above all, her goal is to spread the message of recovery by sharing her story in the hopes that it may help even just one person.
“Speak from your heart,” she said. “Don’t be ashamed. I’m proud to be an addict. I’m proud that I can help other people.”
Stephanie, we are proud of you and grateful for your heart of solid gold.
