Addictions are some of the hardest things to overcome; however, it is possible, and those who have done what it takes to become and remain sober have strong testimonies that can inspire others to follow that same path.
While some who developed addictions started just for a thrill, many people develop addictions after having a traumatic experience and may not even realize that they are becoming addicted.
This was the case for April Swancey. After facing a traumatic experience when she was younger, she did not immediately seek the help she would need, opening the door for her to welcome an addiction later on.
“I was raped at 19. Instead of dealing with it the right way, I ran from it and buried it deep down. I didn’t seek therapy and go the right direction. I didn’t even tell my parents when it happened. It was probably two or three years later before I opened up to anyone about what happened, other than one person,” recalled April. “I was actually in class at Mississippi State working on my Bachelor’s Degree for psychology, and I told one of my professors. He was one of the few people who probably saved my life at that time because he knew what was going on. I can remember where there were times that if he knew that a topic that he would be discussing would be particularly hard on me that he would let me go sit in his office. I just didn’t really deal with it.”
Carrying the weight of that incident was harder on April than even she realized. Once she was introduced to alcohol, it started her on a journey that she didn’t expect; she never even realized how dependent she was becoming on the alcohol or even why.
“At that time, my now husband and I started dating; he was actually the first person who introduced me to alcohol. I liked what my first drink did for me. It kind of numbed a lot of the anxiety and the depression. It made me feel good about myself and relax. At the time, I thought I could handle it,” remembered April. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but over the years, it became a big crutch in my life. I used it anytime I became stressed. When you go through sexual abuse, there are triggers that you deal with. There were certain smells and certain characteristics in men that would trigger things for me, and I would have panic attacks without even realizing what a panic attack was. I would just go buy some alcohol to calm me down without even realizing that I was using it for a crutch.”
Years went by, and April eventually realized that she was an alcoholic. Despite knowing that she had a problem, she still believed she could handle everything on her own. She was embarrassed at the thought of people learning of her alcoholism.
“Years later, my husband and I have three kids. It was 2020. I had found Jesus, and I was going to church. My pastor is Todd Tilghman, and I am really good friends with his wife, Brooke. At this point, I knew I had an alcohol problem. It was so bad that I was drinking a fifth every night from Thursday night to Sunday night. I was getting drunk and drinking to the point that I’d black out and wake up the next day. I learned that what I thought had happened did not happen. People would tell me about calling people that I didn’t remember calling, texting people that I didn’t remember texting, and saying hurtful and damaging things to friends that I didn’t remember saying,” explained April. “Brooke knew what was going on and was really trying to encourage me and get me to go to rehab. I was seeing a therapist at the time, and still see him, and they were all telling me that I really need help. I said that I could take care of myself no matter how bad they were telling me that it has gotten. I didn’t want everyone finding out about it at the time because I was afraid of what people would think of me and didn’t think they would want to listen to anything I would have to say.”
Her friends and family never gave up on her and continued to encourage her to seek more help so that she could recover. One day, she had an experience that she can only describe as a God thing that opened her eyes and gave her the courage and strength that she needed to be able to do what she had to do to be sober.
“Todd ended up going on The Voice, and on the week of the finale I think that God let them know that they had to keep my mind occupied because Brooke, Todd, and their family kept me at the church that week helping them with the show. They had me helping set up sets and everything. The week of the finale, my husband came to me and said to me that either I had to get sober or we wouldn’t make it in this marriage. He told me he loved me and he would always love me, but he could not continue that kind of life with me. The day Todd filmed I Can Only Imagine, I had this moment when he started singing that song. He had to do three takes. On the first take, it was like Jesus met me right there in that room, and I completely lost it. It was like something in me was telling me that I had to go get help and get clean and that I had to stop doing that to myself. After the first take, Todd’s son Asher looked up at me and asked if I was going to be okay because they had to do two more takes, and I said I would be fine,” expressed April. “I called my therapist that day and told him okay because he had been trying to get me to go to detox. I told him that I would do it but that he would have to let me see it through on working with Todd on The Voice. The day after Todd won The Voice, I called my therapist, and he called the addictionologist. They got everything set up so that all I had to do was go check myself in. Johnny drove me to detox the day after the finale. He was and still is my biggest cheerleader and encourager. He never gave up on me, and I would not have made it this far had it not been for him, that handful of people who were with me that week of the Voice finale, and the ones who have stuck with me through my sobriety today. I checked myself into detox and stayed there for four days and got sober.”
April successfully made it through detox and came out sober, but she still didn’t have confidence that anyone would ever listen to her. Although she thought that people would respond negatively to her story, she didn’t realize that her story would actually be considered an inspiration and motivation for others who are in the same position she was. She learned just how powerful her testimony really is when it is what brought her to the job she loves so much now.
“What’s funny is I had a Bachelor’s Degree in mental health and had worked in mental health for four or five years. Then, I got on the wrong path and quit working and doing mental health for all that time, and I remember thinking that when all of this is over that no one will ever hire me to work in mental health again after learning about all I’ve done and how I’ve been an alcoholic,” said April. “I had made a Facebook post about how I had been in the hospital and how I had been an alcoholic. My now boss, Nicole McCree, messaged me when I posted that I had come out of detox and told me that I had to come work for her. She told me my story would inspire so many people, so I went to the interview but didn’t think they would hire me because I knew it would be more than just her. We did the virtual interview, and within two minutes she called me back and told me that I had the job if I want it. I now work with Canopy Children’s Solutions. I started in February. We work closely with CPS. A lot of the families I work with are in the same boat that I was in a year ago, and now I’m working on becoming a licensed substance abuse counselor.”
Although it was a long, hard journey, April was able to overcome her addiction and is now a recovering alcoholic. She knows that it is possible for others to break free of their addiction too and that they just need to know how to get started.
“A great person to see is a therapist. I’ve been seeing Dr. Lynn Hogan at WEEMS, and he’s amazing at what he does. Go to AA meetings if you have problems with alcoholism. Even getting involved with your local church is a great start,” suggested April. “The hardest thing is that you have to change your whole friend circle when you come out of it because the people that you always drank and partied with are going to try and keep you right there with them. You have to get away from those people and hang around a strong group of people who will support you and encourage you to stay sober so that you don’t relapse as easily.”
She knows how scary it is to finally give in and start the process of becoming sober, but after experiencing everything herself, April really wants to encourage others to take that first step and know that no matter how long an addiction has lasted, it is never too late.
“It’s never too late to start over. It’s never too late to reach out for help” declared April. “There are so many people out there that can help, and there are many people out there that want to help and aren’t going to shame you.”
