Review Rating: 5 Stars 2.25.21
Reviewed By Karen Walpole for Readers’ Favorite
In Out of the Fog! A Story of Survival, Faith and Courage, Sandra CH Smith tells her life story. Smith, an intelligent, educated, and talented young mother of two begins to rely more and more on alcohol to deal with her unhappy life and manipulative husband. Her husband’s controlling and condescending ways destroy Sandra Smith’s self-confidence and her life and drinking spiral out of control. She eventually finds a 12-step program that saves her from suicidal despair and leads her to a relationship with her Higher Power. To free herself from her toxic marriage, she must start over with almost nothing.
The book describes her slow and steady progress toward a courageous and fulfilling life. She deals with relationships with her children and her critical mother and gains strength from each obstacle and success. After regaining equilibrium and establishing herself again financially, she decides to buy and live aboard a 35-foot sailboat. Knowing nothing about sailing, she courageously teaches herself and learns from others until she becomes a sailing master. Throughout her journey, Sandra Smith relies on her higher power, the 12-step program, and her mantra “Everything will be alright.”
I found Out of the Fog! A Story of Survival, Faith and Courage thrilling and inspiring. Anyone who has experienced drug or alcohol abuse or lived with an abusive spouse or partner needs to read this remarkable story of pain, recovery, hope, and triumph. There’s a joyous life out there waiting for each of us. Having the courage to try new things and trust that everything will turn out okay is the lesson I took from Out of the Fog! by Sandra CH Smith. Gaining strength from our Higher Power and living without limits will help us find the way to a fulfilled life.