1 00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories, 2 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: the show where America is the star and the American people. 3 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:21,239 Speaker 1: In addition to leading her churches ministry, Roseanne Forte was 4 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:25,240 Speaker 1: a prosperous executive. She had four kids, she was a wife, 5 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 1: but she harbored a secret that threatened to unravel everything. 6 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 1: Here's Roseanne to tell her story. 7 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:40,520 Speaker 2: I grew up in New Hampshire, near that small piece 8 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 2: of coastline that New Hampshire has, so kind of a 9 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 2: small time girl. My parents were hairstylists, and you know, 10 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 2: I was always near the shop, helping them with their business, 11 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 2: and you know, kind of staying out of trouble for 12 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:08,120 Speaker 2: the most part until I got to age thirteen, and 13 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:11,479 Speaker 2: then my parents started working and worked at home a lot. 14 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:15,040 Speaker 3: I wanted to make friends. 15 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:17,680 Speaker 2: We had just moved to a different part of the 16 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:22,039 Speaker 2: state called Hampton Hampton Beach, and I wanted to be 17 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 2: a cool kid. And I ended up being a cool 18 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:30,320 Speaker 2: kid by trying alcohol and smoking cigarettes. 19 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 3: When I was thirteen years old. 20 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 2: I fell a victim to a lack of a better word, 21 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:46,400 Speaker 2: the lies of this world. I wanted to fit in. 22 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 2: I was what's called the locky kids, so my parents 23 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:54,920 Speaker 2: were at work, I was unattended to, and I tried 24 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:59,720 Speaker 2: alcohol and cigarettes with my friends and over time. 25 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 3: You know, back then even cigarettes were cool. 26 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:06,720 Speaker 2: It was a marble man and Virginia slims women and 27 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 2: your doctor recommends candle lights. So I definitely, like every 28 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 2: other teen, wanted to be a cool kid, and so 29 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 2: I participated. I think it was just there was just 30 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 2: this natural thing where I was the new kid in town, 31 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:32,040 Speaker 2: and the group of kids that was my age, you're like, 32 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 2: come on, let's go have some beer, or come on, 33 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 2: let's go have a cigarette. 34 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 3: For me, I felt like. 35 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 2: It was the thing I had to do in order 36 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:41,960 Speaker 2: to make friends. 37 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:44,320 Speaker 3: And I remember, you know, with. 38 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 2: The alcohol, I got really really ill, and with the cigarettes, 39 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:52,919 Speaker 2: I was coughing and choking on them. You're sitting here 40 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 2: doing these very unnatural things to your body just to 41 00:02:57,960 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 2: fit in. 42 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 3: It's kind of a strange thing, right. 43 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 2: I can't explain why, but that desire, that teenage time 44 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 2: frame where it's so important to find your proud your 45 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 2: connection with other people, you will do what you need 46 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 2: to do. And maybe it's this thought that this is 47 00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:26,120 Speaker 2: how I need to survive, is to participate, and so 48 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 2: I fell into that trap, you know, that goes on 49 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 2: to college and the. 50 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 3: Partying and animal house. 51 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 2: And you know, it just continues into that's how you 52 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 2: have fun in the business world, and you go out, 53 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 2: you have cocktails at lunch. It was just, I don't know, 54 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 2: my life just seemed very alcohol and party centric because 55 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 2: I participated at such a young age. This just progressed 56 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:03,000 Speaker 2: into my college years. Quite frankly, I don't think I 57 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 2: remember knowing any human being that didn't drink when college, 58 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 2: So it was just that's what you did to have fun. 59 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 2: And at that point in my life, I don't think 60 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:16,360 Speaker 2: I had a lot of stress or you know, other 61 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 2: than the typical do a good job at school. And 62 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 2: once I graduated from college, I went into the business world. 63 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 3: First I was a CPA. 64 00:04:25,839 --> 00:04:30,159 Speaker 2: Then I went into mortgage banking, which is also a 65 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 2: big or It used to be a very big alcohol 66 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 2: centric industry where we'd go to happy hours or business lunches, 67 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:46,720 Speaker 2: business genners and there's always a nice bottle of wine, maybe. 68 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:49,520 Speaker 3: A martini at lunch. It was just a normal thing. 69 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:55,800 Speaker 2: I ended up meeting my husband in a bar because 70 00:04:55,800 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 2: that's where I went to socialize, and we got married 71 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:08,480 Speaker 2: and our life was very much focused on parties and drinking, 72 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:17,839 Speaker 2: so that just progressed. It's really hard to figure out 73 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:22,560 Speaker 2: when you cross what I call the invisible line. When 74 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 2: I was younger and I went to the doctors and 75 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:27,320 Speaker 2: they asked you, how much do you drink? I think 76 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:31,280 Speaker 2: I remember, let's call it mid twenties. I'm like, eh, maybe. 77 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 3: Ten or twelve a week. And the doctor went and 78 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:38,239 Speaker 3: I went, what And she's like, that's a lot. 79 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:42,720 Speaker 2: And I didn't think so, because I'd be out socializing 80 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 2: four times a week and you know, maybe four drinks, 81 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 2: and that seemed normal in my world. And so from 82 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 2: that point on, I never shared with my doctor again 83 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 2: the truth about how much I drank. But there's always 84 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:03,839 Speaker 2: this like, yeah, those alcoholics or you know, you're not 85 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:07,040 Speaker 2: going to be one of those way down the road. 86 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:09,000 Speaker 3: Because I have control. 87 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 2: And then if you ask me when I cross this 88 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:19,840 Speaker 2: invisible line, I cannot share with you when that was. 89 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:22,640 Speaker 2: And based on my experience as a coach, I don't 90 00:06:22,839 --> 00:06:25,360 Speaker 2: think many people know. They just know that one day 91 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:28,840 Speaker 2: they can control it, and then the next day something 92 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:33,760 Speaker 2: happens that they've separated consequence from their excessive drinking. And 93 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 2: when they start to control it, they can't anymore. And 94 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:43,920 Speaker 2: that's the dangerous thing about addiction. 95 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:46,560 Speaker 3: Somebody doesn't tell you, hey. 96 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:49,280 Speaker 2: The line is right before you just cross over it 97 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:49,960 Speaker 2: without knowing. 98 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 1: And you've been listening to rose and Forte of her story, 99 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 1: and if you're nodding up and down, this may be 100 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:05,640 Speaker 1: yours or somebody you know, certainly somebody you know, and 101 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 1: maybe you. And it's so true, it's hard to know 102 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:11,880 Speaker 1: when you've crossed that invisible line. One day you can 103 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:15,960 Speaker 1: control it and one day you can't. When we come back, 104 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 1: more of Roseannefte's story here on Our American Stories, Lee 105 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:33,760 Speaker 1: Habibe here again. Our American Stories tries to tell the 106 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:37,480 Speaker 1: stories of America's past and present to Americans, and we 107 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: want to hear your stories too. 108 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:42,160 Speaker 4: There's some of our favorites. Send them to us. 109 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:45,520 Speaker 1: Go to Alamericanstories dot com and click the. 110 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:46,960 Speaker 4: Your stories tab. 111 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:52,320 Speaker 1: Again, please go to Alamerican Stories dot com and click. 112 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:54,200 Speaker 4: The your Stories tab. 113 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:11,360 Speaker 1: And we continue with our American Stories and rose Ane 114 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:12,440 Speaker 1: Forte's story. 115 00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:15,240 Speaker 4: Let's pick up where we last left off. 116 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:32,040 Speaker 2: I had known I needed to do something for many 117 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:34,560 Speaker 2: many years. I was trying, and I think like most 118 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:38,679 Speaker 2: people only after five, only on the weekends, only on 119 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:46,920 Speaker 2: special occasions, only with friends, only on holidays, and that's 120 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:56,960 Speaker 2: how the negotiating starts. But then there are events that 121 00:08:57,080 --> 00:08:59,199 Speaker 2: occur in your life where you go, well, that's enough. 122 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:02,200 Speaker 2: I really got to take this seriously. And I had 123 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 2: plenty of those two. But the event that really was 124 00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:10,480 Speaker 2: a turning point for me was after years of making 125 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:19,479 Speaker 2: all these negotiations, suffering the consequences of my excessive alcohol 126 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:29,200 Speaker 2: use in terms of health, mental health productivity, as Millie 127 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:32,760 Speaker 2: traveled as holily weekend tonight, COVID and flu are also 128 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:37,760 Speaker 2: on the move. When my defining moment wasn't COVID hit 129 00:09:38,679 --> 00:09:43,800 Speaker 2: and I was watching television and saw Italy throwing those 130 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:46,440 Speaker 2: bodies in the back of a truck and it was 131 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:48,319 Speaker 2: heading towards the United States. 132 00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:51,800 Speaker 3: And because I was I had already. 133 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:54,400 Speaker 2: Quit smoking for fifteen years at this point, but my 134 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 2: lungs were not the best, and excessive alcohol decreases lung 135 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 2: function andmmune system, and I'm like, I don't have a chance. 136 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:06,559 Speaker 3: And you know, in a. 137 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:09,960 Speaker 2: Hospital on a ventilator without your family, that wasn't That 138 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:13,600 Speaker 2: was enough for me to just go, okay. I got 139 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:16,320 Speaker 2: to get serious. This is my defining moment. 140 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:29,599 Speaker 3: Okay, hi everyone. My name is Roseanne, and I'm an alcoholic. 141 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:33,280 Speaker 2: My knowledge of what was available to me at that 142 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:38,360 Speaker 2: time were a variety of twelve step programs, and I 143 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:42,839 Speaker 2: found those difficult for me because of the labeling. I 144 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:46,559 Speaker 2: really had a hard time saying I'm an alcoholic. 145 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:48,880 Speaker 3: Now, I'm not denying I didn't have I. 146 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:52,200 Speaker 2: Had a serious call problem, right, But it was a 147 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:54,360 Speaker 2: labeling that really bothered me. 148 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:56,880 Speaker 3: Labeling is. 149 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:02,640 Speaker 2: It's not a good thing in any sense, in any 150 00:11:02,679 --> 00:11:06,080 Speaker 2: sense of any world, because why don't you put a 151 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:10,480 Speaker 2: label on someone you know, you're depressed, you're an alcoholic. 152 00:11:10,559 --> 00:11:15,800 Speaker 2: Hear this, The curiosity about the person stops because the 153 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:22,040 Speaker 2: label seems to explain everything. There was a book I 154 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:25,280 Speaker 2: read and it was like, you know, it's like that 155 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:28,000 Speaker 2: child who sees a bird for the first time and 156 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:32,960 Speaker 2: they are in awe of the feathers and the colors 157 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:36,960 Speaker 2: and the beak and every part of this bird, and 158 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:43,520 Speaker 2: mom says bird right, And then the very next time 159 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:48,040 Speaker 2: that child sees a bird, they don't. They're not looking 160 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 2: for the qualities of the bird anymore. They just a bird. 161 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:57,600 Speaker 2: And I think that's a perfect example of labeling. I 162 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:02,839 Speaker 2: just tell people today that I don't drink, and if 163 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:06,040 Speaker 2: they ask if I had a problem, I surely did. 164 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:09,200 Speaker 2: Why don't you drink anymore? Because life is so much better? 165 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:17,320 Speaker 2: And it's the same thing I say about smoking. I 166 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:19,800 Speaker 2: used to smoke cigarettes. As a matter of fact, cigarette 167 00:12:19,800 --> 00:12:21,960 Speaker 2: smoking was a bigger problem for me. I used to 168 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:24,520 Speaker 2: smoke a cigarette when I woke up in the morning 169 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:27,360 Speaker 2: and smoke a cigarette when I went to bed at night. 170 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:32,000 Speaker 2: I needed pharmaceuticals to help me quit. But it wasn't 171 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:34,640 Speaker 2: a cigarette aholic. It wasn't a smokeaholic. And I'm not 172 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:37,280 Speaker 2: a recovery for the rest of my life. I just 173 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:44,480 Speaker 2: don't smoke because it was killing me. And their mantra 174 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:47,560 Speaker 2: is to look for a higher power, and I was 175 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 2: a Christian, so I already had my higher power. So 176 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:56,400 Speaker 2: I ended up looking for something different, and I found 177 00:12:56,520 --> 00:13:01,320 Speaker 2: a coaching program that said, hey, just put this aside 178 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:03,480 Speaker 2: for ninety days and see what's possible. 179 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:05,840 Speaker 3: And when you're. 180 00:13:05,679 --> 00:13:12,680 Speaker 2: Addicted to a substance, the thought of forever is really overwhelming. 181 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:15,840 Speaker 2: And I don't know if I would have been successful 182 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:18,679 Speaker 2: if they said forever. But they're like, just challenge yourself 183 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:21,400 Speaker 2: ninety days and I'm like, you know, this is kicking 184 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:24,680 Speaker 2: my butt. I need to do something about this, so 185 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:27,560 Speaker 2: I'm going to do it. And with that kind of mindset, 186 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:32,280 Speaker 2: like just ninety days, it wasn't that hard. I mean, 187 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:38,520 Speaker 2: you have moments, but it wasn't excruciating because I thought, well, 188 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:41,520 Speaker 2: I'll be healthy and I can choose alcohol again after 189 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:44,720 Speaker 2: I just need to see what this is like. And 190 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:49,280 Speaker 2: then what happened is I was completely transformed and I 191 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:54,520 Speaker 2: went from love self esteem to self confidence. I went 192 00:13:54,679 --> 00:13:59,679 Speaker 2: from needing medication for blood pressure to not needing medication. 193 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:04,400 Speaker 2: I lost twenty pounds, I was happier, I had found 194 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:08,800 Speaker 2: peace and joy in my life again. The concept behind 195 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:13,320 Speaker 2: this program was now you can choose. Now you know, 196 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:17,440 Speaker 2: this is what life is like with, this is what 197 00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:22,800 Speaker 2: life is without. And I just felt such a personal 198 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:29,320 Speaker 2: transformation that I didn't want to go back, and I 199 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:36,520 Speaker 2: became you know, the person who coached me. I just said, 200 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:39,440 Speaker 2: this is kind of magic, and I'd love to work 201 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:42,680 Speaker 2: with you. So I ended up being a coach and 202 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:48,720 Speaker 2: learning how to help other people change their relationship with alcohol. 203 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:56,760 Speaker 1: Dear friends denied, I would. 204 00:14:56,560 --> 00:15:01,280 Speaker 2: Like my faith and my higher power is the triune 205 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:06,240 Speaker 2: Christian God. The National Institutes of Health, there's a division 206 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 2: that did a study that said you are eighty four 207 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:15,240 Speaker 2: percent more likely to recover from addiction if God is 208 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:19,160 Speaker 2: involved in the process. How to just forgive ourselves and 209 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 2: move on and understand that our behavior hopefully is changed 210 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:29,280 Speaker 2: enough that people will trust us again and we can 211 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:35,480 Speaker 2: reform new relationships again. But understanding consequences of behavior is 212 00:15:35,520 --> 00:15:38,280 Speaker 2: a part of wisdom and growing. 213 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:42,520 Speaker 3: I think all of that can be used to. 214 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:47,400 Speaker 2: Help others as they walk through difficult paths as well. 215 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:50,080 Speaker 3: To forgive the unforgiven. 216 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:56,320 Speaker 2: What we're talking about is knowing there's a better plan 217 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:02,360 Speaker 2: and knowing that somebody is empowering you to create it, 218 00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:07,080 Speaker 2: and knowing you were born with something unique and a gift. 219 00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:13,560 Speaker 2: And I feel like my relationship through Jesus empowers me 220 00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:18,720 Speaker 2: to just be fearless and what I do versus I 221 00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:21,720 Speaker 2: was in a house with the blinds closed by myself 222 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:26,120 Speaker 2: drinking and my world was getting smaller and smaller, and 223 00:16:26,760 --> 00:16:29,560 Speaker 2: removing that substance it for me, It is just made 224 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:34,360 Speaker 2: me fearless. And I don't think that's only for me. 225 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:38,600 Speaker 2: That is not only for me, That is for everyone. 226 00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:41,240 Speaker 2: That's a promise for everyone that you can make a 227 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:44,240 Speaker 2: difference in the lives of people around you. 228 00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:00,280 Speaker 1: And a terrific job on the production and storytelling by 229 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:03,720 Speaker 1: Russ Jones and Oscar Corral And a special thanks to 230 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:07,359 Speaker 1: Roseanne Forte for sharing her story the plans he has 231 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:12,120 Speaker 1: for me, the twelve week daily devotional for Freedom from Alcohol. 232 00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:15,760 Speaker 1: That's her book. Go to Amazon or the usual Suspects 233 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:19,199 Speaker 1: and pick it up. I am not in recovery the 234 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:22,560 Speaker 1: rest of my life, she said. She just didn't want 235 00:17:22,600 --> 00:17:25,200 Speaker 1: to be labeled an alcoholic. And that story she told 236 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:28,920 Speaker 1: about the bird, It's just so true what happens when 237 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:32,520 Speaker 1: we just label something. We become it and it becomes 238 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:36,240 Speaker 1: the label. According to the NIH, eighty four percent of 239 00:17:36,280 --> 00:17:38,680 Speaker 1: all of us are more likely to recover from any 240 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:42,360 Speaker 1: addiction if God is involved in the process. We love 241 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:45,240 Speaker 1: to share these stories. I know you love to hear them. 242 00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:48,960 Speaker 1: Roseanne Forte's story of love and a life of meaning 243 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:51,359 Speaker 1: and purpose conquering alcohol. 244 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:54,080 Speaker 4: Here on our American Stories