I had my last drink on Easter Monday 2014, and I wouldn’t have gotten sober without the Church

Writer and recovering alcoholic Lauren Windle shares the invaluable support she got from her church community in early sobriety.

I had gone out to celebrate Easter Sunday with friends. I wasn’t a Christian at the time. I would have said I believed in Jesus, but the main significance of the event was that we all had four days off in a row. A few friends and I cooked up a Sunday roast and I poured myself several gin and tonics. After the meal was finished the crew headed to the pub to continue the festivities.

I don’t know what time I had my last drink or even what it was, but I know it was in the early hours of Easter Monday morning. I didn’t make a fool of myself. I didn’t throw up or black out. I just had my drinks and then went home to bed. I woke up later on that day with a mild hangover and a craving for snacks of the deep-fried variety.