12 Step Program

Senator John Velis Faces Alcoholism One Day at a Time

Voting for Sobriety –

Dec. 20, 2020 – To get to this point, he first faced a grim reality. “For me, alcohol is going to lead me to one of two places: dead or in jail,” Velis said he realized. “Simple as that.”  

Velis chose a third path: recovery. He last had a drink on February 19, 2017. In a lengthy interview with CommonWealth, conducted via Zoom due to the pandemic, Velis told his story publicly for the first time. For nearly an hour and a half, Velis talked candidly about his struggles with alcoholism, the importance of mentors like Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, and the factors that led to his recovery. 

Until now, he has told his story more quietly, when it is important: To some of his colleagues in the Legislature and to those suffering with addiction who he is now trying to help. Going public is a step Velis took nervously, after considering it for more than a year, but one he hopes will let him be a resource for others struggling with the same issues he has confronted. “If it weren’t for any number of people in my life who took the time to meet me for a cup of coffee, took the time to hear me on the phone, to just fill in the blanks, I wouldn’t be sitting here today on this Zoom as a sober man,” Velis said. 

Velis, who is 40, had his first drink as a high school student in 1997, at a house party in Springfield. He loved the feeling alcohol gave him. “I was kind of a shy kid. The next thing you know at that same house party I’m the center of attention, talking to all the young ladies I was too afraid to talk to sober,” Velis said. 

For the next two decades, once he started drinking, Velis said, “I could count on two hands the number of times that I didn’t black out.” 

more@CommonwealthMag

Leonard Buschel

Recent Posts

Vin Baker Uses Sobriety For Good

GIVING BACK IN STYLE –   April 17, 2024 - “It’s still one day at…

2 days ago

Captain Sandy Tells How Yachting Helped Her Sobriety

RIDING THE WAVE...CALMLY –   April 18, 2024 - “I was 13 years old and…

2 days ago

Hot Broadway Star Overcame Cocaine, Alcohol and Gambling Addictions

VIDEO – NEW YORK STORIES –   April 23, 2024 - Sara Gettelfinger had steadily…

2 days ago

The Endless Quest to Replace Alcohol

TRY IT, YOU’LL LIKE IT –   April 18, 2024 - The rise in “sober…

2 days ago

Anthony Hopkins Planning to Live Beyond 100

AUDIO – SOBER MEN CAN DO THAT –   April 4, 2024 - Acting icon…

2 days ago

Ohtani’s Ex-Interpreter Must Get Gambling Addiction Treatment

I’LL BET HE GOES TO GA (not Georgia) –   April 13, 2024 -The initial…

2 days ago