Episode Details

She was drinking a handle of Jack Daniel’s a night.

Her breathalyser read .45.

Rehab called her “Dead Girl Walking.”

If AANP speaks to you, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠follow the show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and never miss an episode.

Willow’s story begins with a chaotic childhood, alcohol and drugs at an astonishingly young age, and an abusive relationship that left scars she spent years trying to outrun. Outwardly successful, she was privately drinking herself into oblivion, until losing the family she loved brought her to the edge.

Then came the call for help, rehab, and sobriety.

But getting sober didn’t magically fix everything. Willow was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder, faced the challenge of managing her mental health without alcohol, and began confronting the trauma she had buried for decades.

She also found herself wrestling with AA’s religious language, struggling to reconcile its spiritual demands with the atheist upbringing she came from. After years away from meetings, discovering secular AA reignited something she thought she’d lost.

Now, with nearly twelve years sober, Willow is doing the work again: therapy, trauma recovery, mental health management, and a fresh approach to the Steps.

Her message is clear: sobriety isn’t the finish line. It’s the chance to finally face what’s underneath.

Because putting down the bottle doesn’t mean the battle is over. Sometimes, that’s when the real work begins.