WARNING: This article contains sensitive descriptions regarding suicide. Please read with discretion.
Danielle Megaffin was once a self-proclaimed party girl.
“I was a really bad addict and alcoholic and I tried to get sober in rehab,” she said during an interview with Global News this week.
“I tried so many times to do it on my own. I always relapsed.”
Megaffin, of the Halifax-suburb of Tantallon, N.S., said she travelled to several different countries in an attempt to escape the grip of her alcohol and cocaine addiction.
“But where you go, there you are, so the addiction always followed me,” Megaffin explained.
After “hitting rock bottom” following another night of partying, Megaffin realized she needed to make some serious changes.
“I was like ‘Okay, I cannot live like this anymore,'” she admitted, adding she arrived at this conclusion following an overdose suicide attempt.
Fast-forward 14 months later, Megaffin is completely sober — and her life has completely changed for the better. With that, she’s utilizing her own story to empower others who might still be struggling with addiction.
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“Some people when they think of addiction, they think of the person on the street. The faces of addiction are very different, and the faces of addiction are me,” she said.
Megaffin has since amassed a following of more than 100,000 online. On her personal Instagram, she regularly shares the struggles and successes of her ongoing sobriety journey.
“With sobriety you don’t have to lose out on anything,” she said.
“I always say that being sober is a gain and that’s what I try to emphasis on my Instagram.”
In addition to sharing her own stories from overcoming addiction, Megaffin has officially launched a new platform to help others experiencing a similar struggle — dubbed “Dani Mega Sobriety.”
“It’s kind of a different way to recover that includes finding the joy and happiness in being sober,” she explained.
Her website offers free webinars for women and a sobriety toolbox which includes personal stories throughout her years in recovery.
Haley Thomas, a close family member of Megaffin, said she “beams with pride” knowing that her cousin is using her vulnerability as a strength to empower others.
“I’ve always seen the bright light inside of her,” Thomas said.
“But now everyone can see it and it’s shining. She’s her real, true, honest, and authentic self. It’s just so wonderful to see.”
When asked to summarize sobriety in one sentence, Megaffin didn’t hesitate.
“Sobriety is a return to your authentic self and living in the world in such a way that makes yourself proud,” she smiled.