MADISON, Wis. — Sobriety is fragile. For those battling with addiction, who and what you surround yourself with can make or break it.
“Any little thing can just be like a tick, you know, a ticking time bomb,” said Monique Lemon, who identifies as a recovering alcoholic.
So when the place that claims to be the best thing for your sobriety turns into the worst, who’s there to protect you?
“I was crying out for help, but I never would receive the right help,” Lemon said. “It was always in and out of jail.”
Lemon has been fighting her addiction to alcohol for decades. It led her to almost constant run-ins with law enforcement until, one day, she made the decision to change her life.
“One day I got into some trouble with the law, and the officer, you know, I really told him like, ‘I’m sick and tired of this, you know? I really need help.’”
She went through detox, then a 30-day inpatient program. Her next step: sober living.
“I felt so good because it seemed like I accomplished something, that I didn’t quit and give up and go back to using,” Lemon said. “I felt on top of the world and I chose a sober living place because I wanted to get that trust within myself.”