Mary
”So I kept obsessing on this and saying to everybody, “Do I need to reset my sobriety date?…Do I need to reset my sobriety date?…And when I realized that, I felt so free because I realized if I had a part in the beginning of my unraveling, I also have a part in my recovery.”
Read More…
Missharris
…However, she identifies as the worst thing about drinking and doing drugs was that she stopped taking her medication….Unfortunately, Miss Harris was exposed to a lot of substance abuse when she was younger and started drinking and smoking marijuana at the age of 12….Miss Harris found herself using drugs, prostituting, and being taken advantage of by men….After years of not only struggling with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but also drug and alcohol addiction , she is now in a good place and ready to share her story….She believes that the path to recovery involves the acceptance of having a mental illness and a willingness to act to help yourself….
Read More…
Marshall
Often, Marshal would not take the medication alone, but would take it as he drank alcohol….His alcohol use was the biggest contributing factor to the robbery; when asked, Marshal said that he robbed the bank when he was drunk….After graduating high school, Marshal headed to college, where he began going to parties and drinking alcohol….He completed a combination of three alcohol programs of various nature, and once he completed those programs, he went to a homeless shelter….However, Marshal again began to drink alcohol, and shortly thereafter, he robbed a second bank….Now sober, Marshal stated that, in addition to Alcoholics Anonymous, his belief in Jesus Christ has helped him with his alcoholism.
Read More…
David
During his two years in college, he experimented with drugs and alcohol, causing him to be unable to continue with his coursework….Once sober, his parents encouraged him to come to Cincinnati to engage in Cognitive Enhancement Therapy (CET)….Despite these struggles, David is active in trying to maintain sobriety as well as stay on a good path with respect to his treatment regimen….Although David is taking several medications now, he is pleased to report being sober from illegal drugs for several months.
Read More…
Warren
He received mental health services and started on medication to mitigate his symptoms….After his fourth marriage ended, Warren went through periods of sobriety and drug use….During this time period, he started using cocaine, which led to his long struggle with addiction ….At the time of the interview, Warren had been out of prison and sober for over a year.
Read More…
Tj
He knows that he will be unable to progress in his life while drinking, and at the time of the interview, he had been sober for some time….There is a history of alcohol abuse in his biological family, and he believes that the propensity has been handed down to him….In addition to his other problems, T.J. has struggled with alcoholism.
Read More…
Chris
An additional suggestion was to eliminate drugs and alcohol and attend some meetings to help with that. Following the advice, Chris attended some Alcoholics Anonymous meetings…. At times, it seems like he is insulted by individuals who have never experienced mental illness or do not address their own addiction s.
Read More…
Rachel
….For example, one manager thought that Rachel was on drugs because hallucinations can sometimes make her appear “spacey.” Even though he was aware of her experiences, he joked about her using drugs.
Read More…
Luna
She still feels emotional about this time in her life….A few years after giving birth to her first child, Luna started dating a man who used alcohol and drugs. She attributes the onset of her schizophrenia to this relationship – he verbally and sexually abused her….Her family had a farm in Morelia, but the cartels evoked fear in her community. The cartels impacted her former neighborhood, and as a result, she saw young children selling drugs. Luna says her brothers didn’t let her out of the house….
Read More…
Katie
Looking back, she thinks that the officer believed her to be using drugs, and says evidence to this effect was even turned in, though she did not have possession of any illegal drugs….”I’m doing nothing wrong but being mentally ill. And he turns around and he says, “What are you, on drugs?” And I’m like—I had no ability to speak properly.”
Read More…
Derrick
One might think he would be bitter about his fate, and about life, but in spite of the severe abuse Derrick suffered, several bouts with alcoholism, years of living on the street and a chronic mental illness, he remained optimistic, attributing his outlook to his faith in God and “Being around positive people”….During his early years, he and his two sisters were physically abused by his drug and alcohol abusing mother and her boyfriends….This was a difficult time for Derrick, when he himself turned to alcohol for comfort.
Read More…
Annette
The addiction s followed throughout her adult life, but at the time of our interview Annette had been drug free for two-years, and had been taking her medication regularly….Most of her life has been troubled, beginning with sexual abuse from her father, when she was less than 8-years- old, and continuing into her teen years, which she spent on the streets abusing drugs and alcohol.
Read More…
Allie
Allie was exposed to this activity as well as drugs and describes her childhood as “very rough.” Eventually, Allie came to the realization that she had to stop trying to save her mother. When she became a teenager, though, Allie’s symptoms caused her fear. The things she was experiencing were scary, and she tried to “turn it off” with activities like drinking alcohol and trying drugs. On top of what she was already experiencing, Allie experienced the trauma of sexual assault at the age of 16…
Read More…
Ronald
….Ronald is very much aware of the years he has lost in drug addiction .
Read More…
Kenneth
His difficulties do not stem entirely from his schizophrenia but are related to learning and attention problems as well, and from the use of drugs and alcohol.
Read More…
Jason
Jason had a difficult childhood, filled with abuse at the hands of his father and alcohol abuse throughout his family…Jason describes his family’s alcohol abuse as having a profound negative effect on him, making it difficult for him to think straight…..
Read More…
Amber
…Amber is 33-years old, and was born into what she called, “a bad, bad family,” in which alcohol and drug addiction were prevalent.
Read More…
Victoria
She describes this time period as her “rocky teenage years,” during which she rebelled against her reportedly strict and Catholic parents. She ended up homeless(by choice)in New York after high school, pursuing an acting career, and began using drugs.
Read More…
Mr
Zimmerman is a divorced man in his late 40s who has struggled with periods of drug and alcohol dependency in addition to his mental illness.
Read More…
Fonda
She was adopted as an infant to a mother who became an abusive alcoholic and a father who was kind, but whom she describes as a “workaholic.” …Fonda considers her belief in God the central element of her life…
Read More…
Antone
“I was into the drug and alcohol for a while, but the purpose I was doing that was to try and calm the voices.”
Read More…
