Alisan Porter blew judges away and wowed the audience during open auditions of The Voice’s new season. Her rendition of Linda Ronstandt’s “Blue Bayou” was powerful, and so was the story she told on stage that night. None of the judges, and likely none of the audience outside her own family knew that this pretty brunette songstress was the child actress who’d once starred in the film “Curly Sue.” The movies was a 90’s family hit, and her quirky performance and mass of brown curls won audiences over, and no doubt people thought she had a bright future in Hollywood. After her audition, which caused all four judges to turn around and take notice of her amazing voice, she revealed onstage that she’d always wanted to be a singer and that music was her passion. When asked by Pharrell Williams why she hadn’t been singing and performing all along, she stated that she’d “gone through a hard time,” and revealed that she’d been sober for eight years. She said also that she’d since gotten married and had children, and that her focus has been on being a good mother to her children. Finally, with tears in her eyes, she told judges that she felt the Universe had put her where she was, in that moment. If you witnessed that episode of The Voice and found yourself teary-eyed, you aren’t alone. The show has a huge audience, and it’s common for viewers to get a little choked up at the many stories these performers share. For Women In Recovery, There Is A Universal Bond In recovery, we have the privilege of hearing so many stories. Heartbreaking stories of lost and forgotten dreams. Stories of pain, grief and failure. And so often, those stories are what inspires us, because they also talk about triumph. The return of what addiction stole: The ability to create a life beyond your wildest dreams. The ability to heal, to succeed, to recover. When we hear a woman stand up and say, proudly, that she is sober, we feel that tug inside our heart, and we see, in the space of a few seconds, the struggle, pain, fear and finally, healing and triumph that has taken place. It’s an amazing gift. More About Alisan’s Story Alisan’s blog, Lil’ Mamas featured a post where she shares her story, what it took her to get sober, and how she has grown in her recovery. It’s clear she did a lot of work. It’s clear that like all people in recovery, she still has her struggles, temptations and character defects. The fact that she not only shares the fact that she’s sober, but also talks about her struggles in recovery is a good thing. It’s so easy to look at someone who is doing well and think that they are somehow “doing recovery” better than you. Recovery is never a contest, and like anyone else, those who are in recovery have ups and downs, temptations, character defects and just plain bad days. Joining The Ranks Of People Who Are Vocal About Their Recovery It’s only been fairly recently that revealing addiction has been “okay.” For years, people went to rehab in secret, and it simply wasn’t acceptable to talk about your addiction or your recovery in public. That veil of secrecy has been lifted, little by little. While there are certainly plenty of stars to choose to remain anonymous, there are also many who are choosing to be open about it. While anonymity is one of the most basic and highly guarded principles of twelve step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, each recovering person certainly has the option to be open about their addiction and their recovery. When high-profile people make the decision to talk candidly about both their struggles and their solutions, it helps bring it out into the open. Many celebrities are choosing to use their spotlight to help bring attention to issues such as addiction and mental illness. Doing so helps knock down stigma, raise awareness and gives inspiration to fans that may be struggling. Alisan Porter is a gifted singer as well as woman and mother in recovery, who we’ll likely be seeing a lot more of. Only time will tell if she’ll be this season’s The Voice winner, but if Pharrell Williams thinks so, then hey, it’s probably true.