LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With the holidays underway, a Kentucky counselor is sharing her battle with addiction, hoping it inspires others dealing with substance abuse to have a plan to survive the season healthily.

Louisville counselor Missy Phelps is sharing her journey, going from prioritizing partying to finding a purpose in living a sober life.

What You Need To Know

  • A Kentucky counselor is sharing her battle with addiction, hoping it inspires others dealing with substance abuse to have a plan to survive the season

  • The Louisville counselor shares her journey, going from prioritizing partying to finding a purpose in living a sober life

  • Missy Phelps kicks her mental preparation into high gear to remain sober

  • Phelps also says to carve time for more self-care and have a set time to leave holiday gatherings to avoid temptation

When the holiday season begins, Phelps kicks her mental preparation into gear to remain sober.

“I feel like addiction is isolating and the opposite of addiction is connection,” Phelps said.

But that revelation came after years of treatment. Now, Phelps is an addiction division director with Seven Counties Services.

“The holidays for me are now a time for me to connect, for me to connect with other people who are struggling with addiction,” Phelps said.

In her younger days, Phelps got lost in the world of substance abuse. It started with alcohol and escalated from there.

“I’ve dibbled and dabbled into every other probably illicit drug out there. I think it becomes more about I’ll do anything to change the way I’m feeling,” Phelps said.

The addiction consumed her. At one point, the drug misuse led to a new low.

“For me, it was homelessness for a time being. Not street homeless, but staying with various people or an abandoned house or, you know, just really, really isolating,” Phelps explained. “That’s what addiction looks like for me and for most people, it becomes very isolating.”

She turned her isolation into a new purpose, going back to school to earn a Master’s degree in Social Work. And even though there were moments of relapse, Phelps has been sober for the last seven years. 

“I think the biggest thing for me was finding an exit plan, right, and making sure that I’m doing all the things that I need and having my own support group that’s separate from my family,” Phelps said.

During the holidays, she says having a sponsor and building new traditions helps create fresh memories.

“Because family are great but unless they are in recovery themselves, [they] are not truly going to understand what’s going on, right and so yeah, I don’t stay with my family way into the evening,” Phelps said.

Phelps also says to carve time for more self-care and have a set time to leave holiday gatherings to avoid temptation.

“I just enjoy [the holidays] so much more with the new life that recovery has given me,” Phelps said.

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