A Kenyan woman named Fay C Kim has taken a trip down memory lane to her days as a “daily drinking officer.” Kenyan Woman Celebrates 6 Years of Sobriety, Regrets Lost Chances: “All My Drinking Buddies Died” In a Facebook post, she said she wasn’t sharing her old photographs for nostalgia, but to show how far she has come. Alcohol Cost Her Everything The images, showing what she looked like during her heaviest drinking years, contrast with the woman she is today, six years sober and committed to staying that way. “Pombe ni shetani. You drink it until it drinks you,” she wrote alongside the post, setting the tone for a testimony that was unflinching in its honesty.
Kim described how drinking gradually eroded the different parts of her life. What began as a habit eventually stripped away her career and personal relationships, leaving very little behind. According to her, she lost jobs and relationships, and nothing good came out of it. The losses were not only professional. Kim buried several friends who had shared that life with her. “Most of my drinking mates are long dead. By the way, nilizika wengi sana,” she said, describing the grief of attending funeral after funeral. Six Years Sober What makes Kim’s story particularly striking is where she recovered. She currently lives behind a very loud and big club, yet the environment holds no pull over her. “Sina haja hata. I drink my tea and prefer staying indoors,” she said. She reflected on how time itself became part of her healing. Days of sobriety accumulated into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. Kim disclosed that when she quit, naysayers gave her days, which turned to weeks, months, and now it’s years. Taking It One Day at a Time Her relationship with alcohol and cigarettes has shifted so completely that proximity to either no longer appeals to her. “Today I testify I don’t even want to smell cigarette or alcohol,” she wrote.
Kim did not present her journey as a straightforward or easy one. She acknowledged that temptation remains a constant part of recovery, telling those struggling that determination is essential. Her advice to anyone fighting alcohol dependence begins with a single step: honest acceptance. “Na ujue temptations ni mob,” she cautioned. “It starts with acceptance first. Kubali hauwezani nayo. Tei imekushinda, you’re ready to change.” From there, she encouraged a gradual approach rather than expecting an overnight transformation. Faith has also been central to her recovery, and she closed her message by urging others battling addiction to seek divine help. “Pole pole tu, one day at a time. Lastly, pray to God to help you. Amen,” she wrote, adding that her old photographs no longer represent shame. For her, they are evidence of distance travelled and proof that a painful past does not have to write the rest of a person’s story.
