It was a beautiful sunny day in the hills of Pennsylvania and I hit rock bottom. The appointed time had come for me to give up the right to myself and commit entirely to the care and counsel from others. I had driven my wife into the psychiatric unit of a hospital. She was in danger of being committed to a mental ward for the rest of her life. There was a sheriff's sale sign on the front door of my house. The State had taken the two girls away. The bank was going to take away the car and truc...   read more »

After my relapse, failed relationship and loss of my apartment, I went to treatment where I overcame my need for using. Treatment, along with mutual aid groups gave me the reinforcing tools I needed to assure myself that I can stay clean without the use of drugs. Now I have a good apartment with positive peers around me and a strong foundation with support. I have also started furthering my education as well as my vocational training. With the help of my treatment program, I am able to give...   read more »

Hi, my name is Joanne D. and I started my life caught up in the grid of drinking cheap liquor at the age of 15. I graduated to marijuana at the age of 16. During this time it was a fun thing to do, I never thought that I would become addicted to these substances. At the age of twenty-one I was introduced to cocaine and began snorting it. However, it did not appeal to me until I started using crack-cocaine. After the initiation of crack-cocaine my life really became unmanageable, to the point of...   read more »

My journey started 4 years ago when my Cardiologist told me, "IF YOU DON'T DO SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR WEIGHT YOU WON'T LIVE TO SEE YOUR 50TH BIRTHDAY." I had just had by third invasive cardiac procedure at this time my weight was 387lbs. I started crying and I felt like I hit rock bottom. I said to my doctor, "I want to live, I am a mother, a grandmother, a daughter and a sister. I am engaged to be married." This is when I said to myself, "I WANT TO LIVE." I decided to have a Gastric By-Pass. T...   read more »

Consider this my essay on "Finding Strength in Recovery." Generally, I keep a journal to chronologize what I am going through while taking my Hep-C medication and my fight to keep my life organized and healthy. Of course, I am also fighting an addiction to crack-cocaine; therefore, I define "recovery" broadly to include defending my life and health against all threats, including Hep-C, HIV and addiction. I have tried to replace bad habits including hygiene, nutrition, adequate rest, taking ...   read more »

I identify as a trans-masculine Filipino and work as a substance abuse counselor at Center Recovery at The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center in NYC. I have been working in the field for nearly 10 years, and I decided in the last four years to focus my energies and abilities to helping LGBT individuals in recovery, because LGBT people have a higher rate of alcohol, drug use, and other addictions than their heterosexual counterparts. This is due to the disconnection, discrim...   read more »