Jon Rhodes

Don't Give Up Before the Miracle: a Woman's Experience, Strength and Hope Jon Rhodes

Don't Give Up Before the Miracle is the true story of Joni Nebel Rhodes' painful life of alcoholism and undiagnosed manic depression. It is a story filled with tragedy and adventure, romance and despair, but it leads to hope and fulfillment. As a young flight attendant living in Manhattan's madcap world of sex and alcohol, Joni joined the perpetual party. Alcohol relieved her insecurities-the memories of her alcoholic parents and the chaos of her childhood. A life of travel was glamorous and it was the perfect environment for her developing alcoholism. Its hectic pace masked the roller coaster of her mood swings, which only intensified when her mother committed suicide. During her adventures traveling the world, Joni stumbled from one disaster to another, indulging in a string of marriages and affairs, thinking they would solve her emotional turmoil. She was in and out of hospitals, both medical and psychiatric, as she fought her twin demons-alcohol and mental illness. Doctors failed to diagnose her bipolar illness until she was in her mid thirties. Despite a life that sometimes seemed hopeless, Joni finally managed to pull her life together in her forties. Her message to readers is that others can also accomplish that miracle; help is available in many ways, and an addict can beat the odds and live a better life. A survivor of bipolar illness and alcoholism, Joni is in recovery. She is presently living with her husband and her three cats in the serenity of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.