I never touched alcohol again
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Legal name: Lanie Sners
Spiritual name: Ma Nithya Oviyananda
Location: Chicago, United States
Email: [email protected]
On New Year's Eve going into 2011, I made a conscious decision to take charge of my life. At that time, I had a well-paying job, a wonderful family and friends around me, an active social life and I was enjoying fixing up my first new house, which I had purchased on my own a year before.
But yet, something was missing. I was very unhappy and depressed, feeling that my life was going nowhere, and I was confused as to what to do next. Additionally, I was self-medicating my childhood and past traumas with alcohol, which was only feeding my depression, confusion and powerless feeling.
During the first week of tht New Year, I ordered some spiritual books online and decided to check out this link to a guru some friends had been telling me about for over a year. That was the first time I watched one of Swamiji’s videos. Wow! What he was saying made such a huge click in me.
In the month that followed, even though I was dabbling in spirituality, I was still unable to make much of a change in the amount of drinking I was doing. Additionally, the sales job I had also promoted this lifestyle, making after work “meetings” with vendors and clients, which consisted of free drinks and unhealthy food, part of the job culture. I was still in depression, and would even come home from work, finish my chores and have some beers by myself.
Two weeks later, my friend asked me to go to the Nithyananda Vedic Temple Ohio to attend a two-day program taught by Swamiji. I shouted “YES” before even thinking about it. I attended the amazing weekend course that Swamiji taught via two-way video conferencing from India. I had some beautiful spiritual experiences, and a feeling that some profound change was happening inside me – some part of me was waking up. I also realized that some of the bodily sensations I was having were due to Kundalini awakening. Deep inside me, I don’t know how, but I understood that a great gift was given to me and I had to take care of it.
Since that weekend in 2011, I have not touched alcohol again. Keep in mind, I did not mention my problem to anyone at the program, nor did I tell Swamiji during darshan, anything at all relating to this alcohol issue I had. But this is the power, grace and compassion of Swamiji. He really knows what our issues are, where we are stuck, and without even asking, I was healed from this disease.
Just from one “little” online program, a huge transformation was happening to me! This was only the beginning..!
