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Carrie Bates

@carriebates1

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Olympic Gold Medalist🇺🇸
Proud Mama
Sober
Ironman 🏊‍♀️🚴‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️
“To thine own self be true”

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As National Recovery Month comes to a close, I keep coming back to one thought: I could never have imagined this life for myself.

This month, I had the incredible opportunity to stand on Capitol Hill and advocate for recovery - to share my story, speak up for those still struggling and use a voice I once didn’t even know I had.

And standing there, I couldn’t help but think about the person I used to be.

The person who couldn’t see a way out.
The person who didn’t know what life could look like on the other side.
The person who never imagined that one day she would be standing on Capitol Hill sharing her story and advocating for others.

That moment was a reminder of just how much recovery has given me.

Recovery has given me everything I ever wanted-and so many things I didn’t know I needed. It has given me people I love, relationships I cherish, memories I get to actually remember, dreams I get to pursue, purpose, freedom, and a life I genuinely want to wake up for.

I also want to be honest: recovery isn’t perfect.

There are still hard days. There are days when life hurts, when things feel overwhelming, and when choosing recovery takes work.

Even through the hard days, I still choose recovery.

I choose it because I know what my life can be. I choose it because I know what I have to lose. I choose it because the life I have today it worth fighting for.

And maybe one of the most beautiful parts of recovery is that I no longer just get to live this life - I get to use my experience to help make a better life possible for someone else!

So I’m ending Recovery Month feeling incredibly grateful, even in uncertain times. Grateful for the person I was, the person I’ve become, and the person I’m still becoming.

From surviving, to living.
From finding my voice to using it.
From needing someone to show me the way to helping light the way for someone else.

I still choose recovery. Every single time!

Here’s to recovery, to second chances, to using our voices, and to never forgetting just how far we’ve come.

#nationalrecoverymonth
#recoveryispossible
#recoveryadvocacy
#myrecoverystory
#capitolhilldc by @carriebates1

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16 days ago

National Sober Day.

Nobody talks enough about the ugly parts of getting sober.

The shame.
The wreckage.
The people you hurt.
The promises you broke.
The mornings you couldn’t remember.
The nights you prayed nobody would find out.
The mirror you stopped looking into because you didn’t recognize the person looking back.

There were many times I genuinely didn’t know if I was going to make it out of that version of myself.

I lost time.
I lost trust.
I lost huge pieces of myself.

And maybe the hardest part was I couldn’t drink my way out of the pain I was creating.

Getting sober didn’t magically fix my life!

If forced me to feel it.

Every uncomfortable feeling.
Every consequence.
Every apology I owed.
Every piece of myself I had buried just to survive.

But then something happened.

I started waking up without wondering what I had done or who I had hurt the night before.

I started keeping promises to myself.

I started rebuilding relationships with those who deserved to walk with me through this journey.

I started laughing again.

I started becoming someone I actually wanted to know.

And maybe that’s really what sobriety has given me:

Not a perfect life.
A real one.

So today, I’m not ashamed of where I came from.

I’m grateful I survived it.

If you’re sober today, whether it’s Day 1 or you’ve got years behind you - I see you!

And if you’re still stuck in the darkness, please believe me when I say this:

YOUR STORY DOES NOT HAVE TO END WHERE YOUR ADDICTION BEGAN!

There is a life on the other side of this.

I know because I’m living it.

ONE DAY AT A TIME🤍

#nationalsoberday #soberlife #recoveryispossible #addictionrecovery #soberstrong by @carriebates1

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a month ago

People think that winning 3 Olympic Gold Medals 🥇 has been the greatest accomplishment of my life. The truth is, the most badass thing I’ve ever done was to get sober, take accountability for my actions, and become willing to change my life. Today I share my story “After the gold: My story of addiction, recovery and redemption,” so that others don’t have to suffer the way I did! There is hope, there is help and there is true recovery! #nationalrecoverymonth #womeninspiringwomen #womeninrecovery #endstigma #sobriety by @carriebates1

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a month ago

September is #recoverymonth! ☀️ Recovery is a journey that no one should have to walk alone. Every day, people like me are reclaiming their lives, proving that change is possible and true resilience is real! Let’s all come together and celebrate those in recovery, and support those that are still trying to find their way. If you or someone you love is struggling, hope is always in reach! 🙏 #nationalrecoverymonth #supportrecovery #mentalhealthmatters #womeninrecovery by @carriebates1

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a month ago

Happy 42nd anniversary to me! … When someone learns of my Olympic pursuits, boy, do they have questions. My goal is to use my sport-chapter to connect - and then to Move On. (That’s key)
I can do it in about 2 minutes. I don’t want to intimidate or elevate myself over anyone, or to have my sport define all of me. It’s a gift of an opportunity - if those 2 minutes are done well it can bond and create life-long human connection … and lead to incredible opportunities; for me, to advocate for ethics in sport, especially women in sport.
The Olympics & Paralympics put the best of humanity on display - and I find similar pursuits of all sorts inspiring. It has opened me up to life-awe.
#wonder #womenssports #TitleIX #HappyAnniversary
Thank you @olympics @la28 by @carriebates1

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3 months ago

Check out our newly featured project in Scottsdale. From custom water features and outdoor dining to beautifully designed softscapes, this backyard is more than just a swimming pool — it’s a complete outdoor experience.
#ScottsdaleAZ
#ScottsdaleLiving
#LuxuryBackyard
#OutdoorLiving
#CustomPool taken in Scottsdale, Arizona by @carriebates1

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7 months ago

At 16, @carriebates1 stood on the Olympic podium. Years later, she faced a very different battle, one no medal could carry.

Today, as a leader at Caron Treatment Centers, she shares a message that reaches far beyond sport: your worth and value aren’t tied to winning medals or not winning medals.

The discipline and resilience she built as an athlete became part of her recovery journey, and now she uses that experience to remind others that hope, healing, and purpose are not defined by performance, but by the courage to keep going. by @carriebates1

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8 months ago

14 years sober today! On 2/1/2012 I crawled into what I hope to be my last of 4 treatment centers. If you had told me then that 14 years later I would be invited to a pre-Grammy party in LA to celebrate the MusiCares Person of the Year, I would have laughed at you! You see, it’s not about the Grammys, or the party. It’s about what recovery does! It’s the miracles that happen when we just stay! It all started so simple. One hope…just don’t drink. Just don’t drink no matter what. It’s gotten so much bigger than that, but that simple hope remains the same each and every day! This journey in sobriety has given me everything I have ever wanted in this life. Love like I didn’t know existed both given and received, laughter from the gut kind of laughter, unbreakable friendships, a career that is my passion and purpose, joy that I feel in my soul, the ability to show up, a relationship with my kids that I only dreamt of, a husband that quite literally adores me and a family that is the heart and soul of my universe. I’ve also lost, grieved, felt paralyzing fear, made lots of mistakes but continued to fight like hell for this life. I’ve shared my story publicly hundreds of times with the hope that just one person won’t have to suffer the way I suffered. Before I walked into that treatment center 14 years ago, I was told things like “just disappear.” “Your kids will be better off if you never come back.” “You’re worthless.” “You’re a terrible mom.” I believed every word of it. But here’s what I’ve learned….nobody hated me more than I hated myself. You cannot hate or shame this out of someone. I am not my disease. It doesn’t define me. My mistakes don’t guide me and my kids were never better off without me. They just needed a healthy me. All of us have a place in this world. Every single one of us is deserving of respect, love and human decency. Stigma is real and it’s full of hate. There is hope. Recovery is real and it is happening all around us. The human spirit is incredible and love is always the answer! If you or someone you know if struggling with substances, WE DO RECOVER! Thank you to every single one of my “we.” I would not be here without you! ❤️ by @carriebates1

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8 months ago

We lost a great man today. @gsmason40 you were my dear friend, my mentor and always in my corner. The impact you had on my life and the lives of countless others is profound. You were everything good about recovery! I will miss you terribly! by @carriebates1

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9 months ago

The Olympic mindset didn't save her... it almost killed her. 🤯
Carrie Bates won 3 Gold Medals, but she couldn't "win" against alcohol. The hardest lesson? Realizing that being the "best in the world" doesn't mean you can outsmart addiction.
Full story on the Wake Up Your Soul podcast. 🎙️ by @carriebates1

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9 months ago

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the nicest guy in the neighborhood! Kenny B, you truly are a gem and are loved by so many. We’re lucky to call you ours! @kenblanco_ #birthdayboy by @carriebates1

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9 months ago

When the standard is Olympic-level, every detail matters. taken in Scottsdale, Arizona by @carriebates1

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10 months ago