The Geographical Cure That Brought Her Along – Sara B.

About This Speaker Tape

Tucson, Arizona: a "vegetarian raw foodist tweaker" in high school, drifting through a drug den of a home where the only rule was not to tell Dad. Sara B. describes a life of segregation—maintaining a high GPA and a seat in the orchestra while getting "totally blasted" every weekend. The trajectory shifted from weed and coke to the "oblivion" of heroin. She chased a geographical cure to Michigan for pharmacy school, packing her dog and a sugar glider into the car, only to find she brought herself along.

The bottom was a slow-motion nosedive: overdosing a dozen times, lying to sponsors, and the haunting image of dogs eating her body if she died alone in her apartment. After nearly being kicked out of school, she finally waved the white flag. By surrendering to a Higher Power and the guidance of women who showed her how to be a friend, she reversed the trajectory of her wreckage.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:45 Sarah B. discusses her family history of alcoholism and the stability of her grandparents.
• 3:12 Laughter: Story about being a 'super nerdy kid' in the orchestra.
• 5:20 Details on the first blackout from smoking weed at age 14.
• 8:15 The 'vegetarian raw foodist tweaker' phase and losing 50 pounds on carrots.
• 12:40 The transition to heroin use at age 19 and the feeling of having 'arrived'.
• 16:10 Description of the 'geographical cure' move from Arizona to Michigan.
• 21:30 The struggle of attending AA meetings while still high and resisting the 'Higher Power thing'.
• 25:15 The dark thought about the dogs eating her body after a potential overdose.
• 28:40 The 'white flag' surrender after nearly being kicked out of pharmacy school.
• 31:10 The process of working the 12 Steps and the role of her sponsorship family.
• 33:45 Discussion of dealing with an eating disorder using the 12 Steps.