Woman Officially Fighting Substance Abuse Creates ‘Sober Girls in Houston’ to Help Others Live Sober

HOUSTON While people are enjoying a great day at Levy Park, Danai Jones is enjoying another great day of sobriety.

“I sobered up on April 10, 2020,” she said.

She recalled that previous years were blurry.

“There were a lot of parties, a lot of festivities,” Jones said.

She says that excessive drinking has led to problems in her life.

“There were a lot of hospitalizations, mental health issues, arrests,” Jones recalled.

She said she once spent seven days in the Harris County Jail.

“I slept on the floor, there were no mats,” Jones described. “That was what changed me forever.”

She said the pandemic gave her time to work through her mental health and substance abuse issues. Jones said she went back to school and became a licensed chemical addiction counselor.

Then, in 2022, she created Sober Girls Houston.

“It was something to see that there were other women in the same place looking for ways to get out and feel safe,” she said.

“What does it mean to feel safe,” asked Sabira Rayford of KPRC 2.

“Go out and enjoy it without obsessing over the alcohol,” Jones replied.

The group has over 200 members who often enjoy activities such as rollerblading and picnics.

“We don’t need alcohol to have fun, we have fun,” Jones said.

Sarah Strang is Program Director of the Harris Center Mobile Crisis Group. She says their organization has just launched a “boots on the ground” program to go door to door helping people suffering from substance abuse.

“I think the most important thing for people who are trying to stay sober and live a life of recovery is to have other peers or other people who are supportive of them not drinking,” Strang said.

“If I didn’t have my sober circle, I can tell you right now, I wouldn’t be here,” Jones said.

“Where do you think you would end up,” asked Sabira Rayford of KPRC 2.

“I would definitely die,” Jones said. “During my mental health issues, there were suicide attempts where I didn’t feel like I had any value at the time, and I had to really look inside myself and realize that everything I was looking for, I already had.” .