Women from Her Group Carried Her Through a Double Mastectomy Without One Thought of a Drink – Jenny B.

About This Speaker Tape

Jenny B. from the Turin Lost and Found Group shares her journey from a sheltered, deeply religious upbringing as the second of six homeschooled children to the depths of alcoholism and back. She opens with two powerful stories about experiencing a higher power — a childhood miracle with a guinea pig and a near-death COVID experience — that anchored her spiritual life. After entering public school in seventh grade, she began rebelling, took her first drink at 16, and was kicked out of the house at 17 when her mother found birth control in her book bag.

Pregnant at 19, Jenny believed her life was over, but her daughter gave her purpose. When her father died of a massive heart attack in 2005, something broke inside her. Her marriage crumbled, and she discovered she could not drink like a normal person — wine became bottles, bottles became vodka. She lost her job of eight years, got a DUI, was sentenced to AA, but could only hear the differences, never the similarities. Multiple rehab stays failed to stick, and each relapse escalated faster than the last.

The bottom came when both daughters left — her oldest moved in with her father, then called to say she never wanted to see Jenny again. Convinced her family would be better off without her, Jenny planned to end her life. Her daughter in Virginia called Jenny's brother, who called 911. That intervention broke something open. Jenny checked into treatment, got out, found a sponsor, worked the steps, and got sober on April 7, 2022.

Early in sobriety, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy. Through the entire cancer journey, not one thought of drinking crossed her mind. She credits AA, her sponsor, and her group of women for carrying her through what would have previously been an impossible situation without alcohol.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Meeting opening and Big Book reading at Blue Chip Speaker Meeting
• 2:00 Jenny introduced; opens with guinea pig miracle story as proof of higher power
• 5:00 Near-death COVID experience — hears deceased grandmother's voice saying it's not her time
• 8:00 Strict religious upbringing, homeschooled, second of six kids; rebellion begins in seventh grade at public school
• 12:00 First drink at 16, kicked out at 17, introduced to regular drinking at relatives' home
• 17:00 Pregnant at 19, father dies of heart attack in 2005, marriage falls apart
• 23:00 Drinking escalates from wine to vodka; loses job of eight years; first AA meeting and DUI
• 30:00 Rehab intake, five-day stay, relapses after four months starting with one glass of wine
• 37:00 Daughters leave, oldest cuts contact at graduation; suicidal crisis and 911 intervention
• 42:00 Gets sober April 2022, breast cancer diagnosis, double mastectomy and chemo — never thinks of drinking; closing message to newcomers