My daughter Michele got me hooked last season on, The Voice, a competition-style reality talent show. It helps that I fast-forward through the parts I’m not interested in. One of this season’s ‘4-chair turners’ is Alison Porter, a 30something wife, and mother of two. Her gifted voice was an immediate hit.

When asked to tell her story, she surprised the judges by revealing she was once the lead child actress in the movie, Curly Sue. Then she told them and the viewing audience she was now a wife, a mom, and celebrating 8 years of sobriety. Her admission and her amazing talent touched everyone.

“Hi, I’m Ali, and I’m an alcoholic,” the Curly Sue star opens up in a lengthy blog post. “Yup, bet you didn’t see that one coming. Or, because you know that I’m a former child star, you totally did. Anyway, it’s the truth. I’ve been sober since Oct 28th, 2007, and I haven’t touched a drink or a drug since” (eonline.com).

“I was living in NYC when I realized I needed to get sober. I was miserable and overwhelmed with life. I was heartbroken and realizing that what had always worked for me in the past was NOT working at all. Not a little bit. I felt trapped, scared, and sad and I was ready to really go for broke or get better. So, I did what every good user does, and I prayed to a god I had never believed in . . . and then called my mom.

“Days later I was off to treatment, just like that. For the next four years I went to meetings, worked the steps, got a sponsor, found a god of my own understanding, prayed, meditated and basically grew up. Growing pains were inevitable, I felt them often but I continued on the path because unlike my old ways, this way was working.”

Could this be the story of someone you know? Someone needing help, hope and fresh perspective? Tell them the Lord God is ready to help in the battle; and there is someone else (you) who cares and who loves regardless. It’s the right place to start.

Alison Porter is married to Brian Autenrieth now, and they have two little children. She tells of her subsequent temptations and testings and sums it all up by saying, “I’m sure someday my kids will ask me why I don’t drink and my answer will be simple: ‘I never want to lose myself and not be able to find you.'”

~W