Elisa Nicole Saunders was a Palm Beach County schoolteacher, standing in front of classrooms every day — and quietly drinking and drugging her way through 30 years of addiction. Two DUIs. A five-car pile-up. Crashing drunk into a tow truck while two people had to run for their lives. Sitting in a jail cell staring at her wrist, wondering how it got this bad.

She never wanted to get sober. A judge gave her the nudge.

Now, coming up on 15 years of sobriety, Elisa has rebuilt her life from the ground up — from losing her teaching certificate, to borrowing gas money to attend an addiction conference, to becoming a respected professional in the drug and alcohol rehabilitation industry in Los Angeles.

In this honest and deeply moving episode of Rise Above, Elisa shares:

Teaching school hungover and in active alcoholism for over a decade
Two DUIs — including a drunk driving crash that nearly killed two people
What it really means to be "dry" versus truly sober — and why she was more miserable without drinking than with it
Relapsing after treatment and spending years "white-knuckling" without a program
Why financial amends took her 14 years to complete — and why she finally did it
Losing both parents in sobriety and navigating grief without picking up
How a deep spiritual connection became the foundation everything else was built on
Going from Hurricane Liza — the woman who wrecked every room she walked into — to a woman who gives back without expecting anything in return

This one is for anyone who thinks they're functioning just fine — and for anyone who's been sober a while but still feels like something's missing.

🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every week 📲 Follow Elisa: @elisansaunders (Instagram & Facebook) | linkedin.com/in/elisansaunders

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to my partners at Compassion Behavioral Health. They offer individualized care and a full continuum of treatment. Call or Text: 844-443-5669 Visit: https://compassionbehavioralhealth.com/?utm_source=rise%20above%20with%20kevin%20lanning&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=may

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