#2: Welcome to the Courage to Change – A Recovery Podcast! For our second episode, Ashley is going to be interviewing Bahan McDermott. Bahan is the Director of Admissions at Lionrock Recovery. She is originally from the East Coast, and now lives in Southern California with her fiance, stepsons, and golden retriever Ghillie. She is celebrating 6 years clean and sober TODAY...and what better way to reflect on her time being sober than to share her story with us. Bahan is going to walk us through her journey with domestic violence and alcohol, which resulted in her abuser going to prison. You are going to be moved by this story of strength, perseverance, and the courage to change. We recommend bringing tissues!

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0:00 – Introduction

2:34 - Launching into Bahan’s story

4:22 - High school - Ecstacy during the week, alcohol on the weekends

6:31 - A supportive, loving family

8:31 - Getting sent off to a wilderness program and a therapeutic boarding school

11:52 - Moving back to the east coast and going to college; trying “this not drinking thing” (which lasted a week and a half)

15:06 - “It always began and ended with alcohol”

17:30 - Finding herself in an abusive relationship & falling into heavier drinking

24:14 - The escalation of abuse

27:36 - The first time he hit her, a panic attack, and the introduction to Klonopin

30:52 - Realizing that if she didn’t leave she was going to die. “I was terrified to leave, and I was terrified to stay.”

35:44 - Finally getting out, & the evidence that sent him to prison

45:35 - Owning her part in her addiction: “My problems didn’t go to prison with him.”

48:59 - “Alcohol was the answer to all of my problems, & the only coping mechanism I knew that worked.”

51:21 - The Intervention

58:04 - Treatment & the beginning of sobriety

1:02:29 - Life in recovery: “I couldn’t have planned my life better than the way it turned out.”

1:07:25 - Words of advice for someone in early recovery who has been through domestic violence