I Was A Teacher With Two DUIs | 30 Years of Alcoholism & Finding Sobriety

Rise Above with Kevin Lanning · May 19, 2026 · 57m

Elisa Nicole Saunders was a Palm Beach County schoolteacher, standing in front of classrooms every day — and quietly drinking and drugging her way through 30 years of addiction. Two DUIs. A five-car pile-up. Crashing drunk into a tow truck while two people had to run for their lives. Sitting in a jail cell staring at her wrist, wondering how it got this bad.

She never wanted to get sober. A judge gave her the nudge.

Now, coming up on 15 years of sobriety, Elisa has rebuilt her life from the ground up — from losing her teaching certificate, to borrowing gas money to attend an addiction…