Martha Carucci had it all: big-time career, a fabulous home in the suburbs, a handsome military husband and three great kids, but she was hiding a big problem.
Carucci was an alcoholic.
"I found myself shaking at lunch until I got a drink in me," Carucci said.
Carucci called herself a 'functioning alcoholic' by day as a busy, but hungover, lobbyist in Washington D.C. However, by night, inebriated, falling down the staircase passed out drunk.
"I would just tell myself, I'm fine, you know sometimes I drink a little too much. What I say is that I have a broken 'off' switch. When I start I can't stop. More is always better. Physically, I felt horrible. It was starting to take its toll on me physically." Carucci explained.
Exhausted from a life of lies, she broke down and opened up to a girlfriend.
"Finally, about four in the morning, after drinking all day, I was able to get the words out: 'You know what? I have a serious drinking problem,'" Carucci said.
That was five years ago and since then, Carucci sobered up and wrote a book to help others, humorously called Sobrietease.
"I decided that it was either going to be laughter or tears. And, you know, I'd had enough tears that I tried to approach this in a way that I could keep my sense of humor and try to help other people with it. So I was like, 'Here I am! I'm a suburban mom of three, but I'm an alcoholic.' I'm proud of that. I took that problem and turned it around and am trying to help other people with it." Carucci said.
Another woman, named "Lexi," understands.
"I have a graduate degree. I had a good career. The disease doesn't care about that. And I did jail, I did institutions, and I almost did death. Any long journey starts with the first step," Lexi said.
If you or someone you know has a drinking problem, experts recommend finding an alcoholics anonymous group with a good 12-step program.
For more information on Carucci's book, click here.
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