Rabinovitch expressed concern for the scourge of alcohol abuse dogging our community, adding that she hoped pupils would learn from her story and know that help was at hand.
Rabinovitch described herself as a clever girl, who was raised in a good Jewish family. She said her first experience of alcohol was at a party one night where her friends had told her that they were on a mission to get her drunk. She woke up later that night in a hospital bed, unable to remember how she got there. She was so embarrassed and apologetic, she said, and promised her parents it would never happen again.
But then Rabinovitch and her friends would get together every weekend and go out drinking. This continued through high school and varsity. With a university degree under her belt, Rabinovitch worked, got married, ran a home and raised three beautiful children on whom she doted. But as time passed, she found that she needed to drink every day. Slowly but surely, alcohol was taking over her life. Soon, Rabinovitch said, she couldn’t function without it.
After being arrested and narrowly escaping a criminal record, she decided to go into rehab. Soon after, she relapsed. This had a terrible effect on her family, and her marriage ended.
Nine years ago, she was told that if she didn’t stop drinking, she would not be able to see her children again. This was the turning point in her life and since then she has not touched a drop of alcohol.
Yet it remains a day-to-day struggle for Rabinovitch. Her children, now young adults, have forgiven her. They are proud of their mother and encourage her to tell her story.
