Sobriety Support Group Focuses on Women

UNDATED - More and more woman are being arrested for being drunk behind the wheel. Alcohol addiction is a growing problem among women. Now, there's a local support group that's strictly for women that understands better than anyone the pressures they're facing.

A warm embrace, a circle of friendship, sharing in their sobriety after battling difficult addictions.

It is normally a confidential meeting, but these members of Women for Sobriety believe their message can help other moms and sisters and daughters, and so they're sharing their stories.

"I was... down in Florida visiting some friends for a weekend and was involved in an accident and was arrested for my third DUI in ten years," said Deborah Garrett.

That was Garrett's wake up call nine years ago. Renee Palmer's came in the form of a car crash, as well, after her fiancé, Doug, tired of her drinking, asked her to leave their home.

"Of course, that was my excuse to start drinking and I did," said Palmer. "I... was going to pick up my son from school, and I wrecked my truck."

Drunk behind the wheel on the way to pick her five-year-old son up from school. Palmer had hit bottom.

"I lost Doug. I lost my son. I lost my job. I lost everything. I was homeless," Palmer said.

Sadly, Palmer's story has become all too common. Drunk driving arrests among women have skyrocketed, up 30-percent from 1998 to 2007. Overall, about 2,000 fatalities are caused by impaired female drivers.

"My daughter's gone. Her friends are gone. We're hurt. So many people's lives just crushed," said Diana Noriega.

Here in metro Detroit, still grieving loved ones, including Noriega, just marked the one year anniversary of the devastation caused by alleged drunk driver Frances Dingle. Four young lives were lost.

"Just please stop drinking and driving. Please, it has to stop," Noriega said.

It's estimated 7.5 million American women suffer from alcohol addiction, and the consequences can be deadly. However, the stigma keeps so many women from seeking treatment.

"Addiction is not a character flaw. It is not a moral failure, but it's a chronic, reoccurring disease just like any other chronic, reoccurring disease like asthma or diabetes," Garrett said. "What's important is that you make the changes to keep the disease in remission."

For Garrett and Palmer, that's where Women for Sobriety plays a critical role. A self help program with groups all over the country. A program that focuses on the present and the future, the positive and not the past.

"In a group environment with women, it's much more comfortable to actually talk and be honest about how you're feeling versus if you're sitting at a table with a man, who totally probably doesn't get what the woman is saying," said Palmer.

These women get it, and it's gotten them through challenging times and very rewarding times, as well. It's been ten years since Renee Palmer got sober, and then she got her son and fiancé back, got married and had another son along the way. She's a moderator for Women for Sobriety, and she's spreading the word.

"Recovery is possible, and it is worth it," Palmer said.

If you would like more information about the group or to participate in their online chats, visit www.womenforsobriety.org . Plus, if you'd like to find a support group near you, contact Renee Palmer at Shortpalmer@gmail.com .

The Greater Macomb Project Vox is another local resource for addiction issues. Visit them online at www.projectvox.com or call Debbie Garrett at 586.634.2316.