December 8, 2021
A Woman of Worth:
If I Can Recover, Anyone Can
Winonna Saari
Aviva Publishing (2021)
ISBN: 978-1-63618-087-8
New Book Details Woman’s Recovery from Addiction and Offers Hope to Others
In Woman of Worth: If I Can Recover, Anyone Can, Winonna Saari shares her personal story of addiction, alcoholism, and bad decisions, then how she hit rock bottom and turned her life around. Today, Winonna has a college degree, has been sober for fourteen years, and is a certified recovery coach who helps others, one-on-one, set goals to change their lives for the better. Now she shares her story to give hope to others.
Early in the book, Winonna describes the difficulties she faced, and how she overcame addiction to find a better way. She states:
“If a girl like me, who is from the ghetto streets of Detroit, can escape the demons of addiction and shift her life from the hellish depths of alcoholism to being a middle-aged, African American woman who enjoys the fruits of life in recovery, then anyone can. I was once a woman whose face was always scraping the bottom of someone else’s shoe, who was frowned upon by society and her family and friends, but I became a woman who reclaimed her dignity through the principles of integrity, hard work, not giving up before the miracle happened, and having a mustard seed of faith. That faith was freely given to me by complete strangers who held out a helping hand. They offered me unconditional love without any expectations or strings attached. They offered me the chance to come along with them, live a life of newfound freedoms and renewed hopes, and I did.”
Winonna received the help she needed. In fact, she found numerous friends to support her, from people at Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous to fellow college students who were young enough to be her daughters. She found advocates to help take care of her children, and she found people who drove her to meetings and supported her in numerous other ways. One of the most magical things about Winonna’s story is just how many people wanted to help her once she was ready to accept help.
But before all that support came into her life, Winonna was largely lost. Whenever good opportunities presented themselves, she tried to embrace them, but she also made bad decisions. A supportive counselor in junior high arranged for her to go to a high school on the other side of town to give her some freedom from her family and a better education. Winonna took advantage of the opportunity, but she also got herself pregnant while still in school. Overcoming that obstacle, she stuck with school and graduated, but she also did a lot of drugs, buying crack on the streets of Detroit and partying nights while working days.
Eventually, Winonna moved to California, realizing she needed a change of scenery, but that change did not change her behavior. She had a couple of relationships, became the mother of five, and was not always able to care for her children the way she now wishes she could, but fortunately, others repeatedly stepped in to help her and her family when things were at their worst.
While I must admit Winonna’s behavior was wild and illogical at times, I also sympathized with her because she repeatedly tried to overcome her addictions. She would quit drinking and drugging for a while, but then something would trigger her to fall back into her old habits. Her story is a rollercoaster of dramatic, drug-and-alcohol-induced experiences, which led a fellow AA member to remark good-naturedly after hearing her story, “Where was Winonna when I was drinking?” But while Winonna had some fun, most of it had its roots in the low self-esteem that kept her from believing she could change.
Finally, Winonna found herself in jail—multiple times. At one point, she was brought in on a shoplifting charge and brought to trial; after a crooked cop lied and brought up information it had been agreed was not relevant to the trial, the judge decided that rather than throw out the case, he would start a new trial. Winonna decided that rather than wait for the trial, she would hop on a bus and head home to Detroit. There, while hiding from the law, she was fortunate enough to reconnect with her father and grandparents and make up for lost time with them. Eventually, she entered recovery, which led her to going to college and turning her life around.
But even then, the Universe wanted to test her. Her adult daughter underwent a severe medical issue that has resulted in her needing constant care. Rather than despair or start drinking again to cope with the situation, Winonna stepped up and has been caring for her daughter and grandchildren ever since.
Winonna knows how hard it can be to turn your life around once you start down the road of addiction. She started drinking at eleven and doing drugs in high school. But she did it to hide the pain of her childhood. She even tried to commit suicide at age twelve because of that pain. Her stepfather slapped her so hard she saw stars when she was a child; her mother hit her with a baseball bat when she was a young woman. She grew up hearing the words “damn shame” so much that she thought it was her name. When she got older, even when she tried to change, people used the past against her and took what she said out of context. Fortunately, she eventually found people who understood and accepted her, and that allowed her to quit feeling judged and judging herself; in time, she built up her self-esteem and came to value herself and her abilities until she came to believe she was a woman of worth.
Winonna’s story is powerful, and like the book’s subtitle states, if after everything she went through, she could recover, anyone can. Besides sharing her powerful story, Winonna ends each chapter with lessons she learned and reflection questions for the reader so they can apply what they have learned to their own lives. The result is a powerful book of wisdom, healing, and hope. You will be entertained by Winonna’s wild antics, but you will also feel her pain, embrace her struggle, and shed tears of joy with her when she begins recovery. Then I hope you will share this story with others who need hope in their own struggles.
For more information about Winonna Saari and Woman of Worth, visit www.WomanofWorthBook.com.
— Tyler R. Tichelaar, PhD and award-winning author of Narrow Lives and The Best Place
