Kenyce Johnson was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to a single mother with one older sibling. She felt that she never fit in with her family, describing herself as the black sheep. She was constantly compared to her sister and thus, never feeling comfortable in her own skin.
When she got to high school, she was able to find acceptance in a core group of friends, and ones she is still friends with to this day. She discovered she was, as she describes, a chameleon when it came to fitting in at school; able to conform to become whoever she needed to be to fit in with different crowds.
Alcohol wasn’t a big part of her life in high school. When the problem first arose, Kenyce was 22, recently heartbroken by, who she believed at the time, to be the love of her life.
That was the first time she used alcohol as a crutch.
She would drink for a short period of time, then stop. Trying to fill the void of him, she kept drinking, which resulted in Kenyce’s first DUI in 2017. She got it expunged a year later, and a week after that, received her second DUI.
Kenyce had a Europe trip planned a few weeks later and debated if she should go or not. She ultimately decided to go on the trip, and it was perfect. She didn’t even think about alcohol once. But when she got back home to the States, she had to face reality, and that is when everything started to go downhill.
She came home from her dream vacation but waiting for her at home was her second DUI and all the issues that lead to that point. She began spiraling into negative self-talk- “what am I doing with myself, you’re a failure, a disappointment, you’re stupid.”
Over the next two weeks, she drank daily.
It began with her drinking at night after work, which led to her drinking in the mornings before work, and soon snowballed into drinking at work, all within two weeks.
When she was at her lowest, she received a letter in the mail regarding her second DUI stating she required drug and alcohol treatment. Greenbriar was on that list, and she decided to call them. She spoke with Jody on a Friday and was told to come in on Monday.
The Sunday before her assessment, Kenyce got her third DUI.
But she still showed up to Greenbriar that Monday.
She told the assessment team about her DUI’s and got started that day in classes for outpatient treatment.
Kenyce made it through the first week of treatment eager to learn more and feeling confident about her first steps on her recovery journey. That Friday she went to visit the former ‘love of her life’ and obtained another DUI that Sunday.
When she went back to outpatient the next week, Kenyce expressed concern and requested to up her treatment plan and go into inpatient treatment.
She went to residential treatment at Greenbriar Washington the next day.
Kenyce completed the 28-day inpatient program and continued with outpatient over the next three months.
However, Kenyce recalls throughout those three months that she ‘figured out a way to manipulate the system.’ She didn’t believe she was an alcoholic- she was just learning to ‘control her drinking.’ She drank the entire time she was in outpatient and spent the next two years drinking while still attended meetings.
The irony of it all was that Kenyce really resonated with the messages and loved going to her meetings. She was interested in the education behind addiction and how it affects the brain; she just never thought she had an addiction.
She continued to drink over the next two years.
She began attending these women’s meet ups that were outside of her usual outpatient meetings. She didn’t want to really get to know these women- or have them get to know her- but she still found herself drawn to them and wanting to surround herself with them.
Kenyce attended a luncheon with these women in December of 2021, she describes it as a ‘God Moment.’
God showed her what her life could be like if she continued to surround herself with this powerful group of women.
She had been lying this whole time, to her peers, and to herself.
This luncheon was supposed to be a celebration of her two years of sobriety, but she felt so overwhelmed and began crying. She recalls for the first-time feeling guilt and remorse for her drinking. These women wanted to celebrate her, but she felt like a fraud.
She could still feel her old patterns calling her; she continued to drink for 30 more days.
On January 12, 2022, she finally put her foot down.
God came to her again and pivoted her to really start her sobriety journey.
Kenyce found the right sponsor that possessed all the qualities she wanted, she was everything she needed and more- “It was another God Moment!” Kenyce expressed.
She could feel her recovery blossoming the more she worked with her sponsor. She learned to open up and trust people, and more importantly love and trust herself.
Kenyce now attends multiple meetings throughout the week. “I feel fortunate to have a life where I can dedicate so much time to my recovery.”
She is grateful to now return the favor and step into the shoes of ‘Sponsor’ and give the gift of recovery to someone else.
Every Thursday she goes to Greenbriar for continuing care where she shares her story and message of hope to others.
“Without Greenbriar and everything I learned; I wouldn’t have wanted to stay. I didn’t see myself as an alcoholic in the beginning, and I didn’t want to stop. But I am full of gratitude. It is all about gratitude and having the willingness to grow and allow these spiritual awakenings to happen. Every day there is a new level of awakening.”
