15 Year Sober: A Love Letter to Hope is Alive

15 Year Sober: A Love Letter to Hope is Alive

Today, I’m celebrating something that, for a long time, I didn’t think was possible: 15 years of sobriety.

When I think about that, I don’t just think about my story. I think about the thousands of stories connected to Hope is Alive that are just like mine. 

I think about the moments we all go through on the journey to sobriety. I think about the very real chance that I wouldn’t be sober today — maybe not even alive — if God hadn’t used this ministry to change everything about my life.

To think about how it all started… It’s crazy, to say the least.

I launched Hope is Alive on the heels of one of the most disappointing seasons of my sobriety. I was hurt. I was humbled. And I was holding tightly to this small desire to live with other addicts. I thought that maybe, just maybe, I could help them.

But if I’m being honest, all these amazing people who struggled with addiction that I hope I’m helping find freedom? They’ve been the ones to give me the freedom I desperately need.

Sometimes I joke that the people who give their entire lives to something like this are probably the sickest ones, and there might be some truth to that. In many ways, I’m proof of it.

That’s why I am so incredibly thankful for Hope is Alive. This ministry is my purpose and my job, but that’s not the only reason why I’m so grateful for it. Hope is Alive has always demanded something from me: my sobriety. And because of that, I have a life today that I never thought was possible.

I have a wife I love, who loves me.

I have incredible children.

I have everything I could ever want or need.

I’ve said it for years: You have to build a life worth living — SOBER — if you actually want to stay sober.

Today, I have that life. And without Hope is Alive, and the thousands of people who make it possible, I wouldn’t. That’s why today is so special to me. Today, I’m fifteen years sober and fifteen years into this amazing new life.

And to make today even more special, I’m excited to release the new and improved Hope is Alive book — the one that started it all. I published the first edition 13 years ago. Today, you can grab a copy of the second edition, which accounts for another 13 years worth of experience.

If you’ve never heard my story, or if someone in your life is just beginning their sobriety journey, this book is a great place to start. Hope is Alive is about so much more than just my journey to sobriety, and I truly believe you’ll be able to learn something from the 15 years of life I poured into it.

Thank you for being part of this story. Thank you for helping keep hope alive for so many.

—Lance Lang

Founder, Hope is Alive