On 28 November 2016, I chose sobriety.

The beginning nobody sees

I didn't plan to become an addict. Nobody does. It started the way it starts for most people — socially, casually, harmlessly. A drink here, a substance there. I was young, ambitious, and convinced I had it under control.

I didn't. By my late twenties, I was dependent on both alcohol and drugs. My relationships were falling apart. My health was deteriorating. I was living a double life — performing normalcy on the outside while spiraling on the inside.

The turning point

On 28 November 2016, I hit bottom. Not the dramatic kind you see in movies — the quiet kind. The kind where you're sitting alone at 3 AM and you know, with absolute clarity, that you cannot continue like this.

That night, I made a decision. Not a resolution. Not a "I'll try to cut back." A decision. I chose sobriety. And I've held that line every single day since.

Why I do this work

Recovery isn't easy. Some days it still isn't. But what I found on the other side — clarity, genuine connection, peace — was worth every difficult moment.

I became a certified Guidance Counsellor and trained in CBT and REBT because I wanted to combine what I'd learned through experience with what works in clinical practice. Not one or the other — both.

Today, I work as a sobriety coach and sober companion across India. I work with people who are where I was — struggling, ashamed, uncertain. And I walk alongside them because I know the road.