“I just remember being really little, and instead of wanting to go play with the other kids, I just wanted to stay in the bathroom at school and braid my hair, or the other kid’s hair. I would save my lunch money to buy braiding books from Scholastic. I had an aunt who I really looked up to. She was a hairstylist, and she’s 12 years older than me. So, she started going to cosmetology school. And I remember going to her and thinking I need to do this.
I tried to go to hair school when I was 26. I wanted to go sooner. I always knew I wanted to go but I was drinking to go to sleep at night. It was hard for me to get up before 10 am because I was always so groggy.
I didn’t have a car, but I decided I was going to enroll in hair school. I had to do something because I knew my addiction was growing. So, I enrolled and on my third day the owner said to me, “you’re gonna make it…you are gonna make it.”
Recovery journeys are never linear. Liz describes her life as a lot of different chapters with twists and turns. Turns to expulsion. Turns to ICU. Turns to houselessness. Turns to unhealthy relationships.
Ultimately, Liz altered her story. She made the decision to become sober and sought assistance from ReDiscover’s treatment program. It was there that a counselor asked her about her dreams and what she wanted differently for her future.
After treatment, Liz lived in a few transitional living homes. She made the decision to go back to school and celebrated becoming a licensed cosmetologist and a brand new mom.
Her journey eventually led to her coming to Amethyst Place in 2016. She graduated from our program and moved off-campus in 2020. From there Liz’s dreams only grew bigger. She wanted to own her own salon.
She recently opened REVILO, her son Oliver’s name spelled backward. Revilo means to increase the value. She finds it fitting for her journey.
“There are so many women who think they can’t. But, I want other women to know that they can do it too,” says Liz.
Liz has shattered every stigma and proves #RecoveryIsPossible We congratulate her on all her success!
Check out Revilo, A Liz Bean Salon at https://www.facebook.com/Reviloalizlbeansalon
