Real Stories, Real People: Addictions
Julie
Julie was born into a middle class family. She lived in a nice house with her parents and brother.But what the world did not see was that her parents drank – sometimes a lot. Julie was a sad and isolated child. Her mother was frequently at the local pub or out partying. When she was eight, her father began sexually abusing her. At 12, she was raped and became pregnant. She pleaded with Social Services to be placed in foster care along with her baby, but her parental rights were terminated by a court.
During her teen years, Julie began drinking and abusing other substances after the loss of her child. She began hearing voices.
Eventually she married and had two sons. But she continued drinking and using drugs, now with her husband. She tried to stop, but couldn't. She began to make "deals with God," burning herself over the gas stove or cutting herself in exchange for God protecting her sons or providing food for them.
Then one day, her husband picked up the boys from school and vanished. Julie traveled everywhere she could think to find them, eventually ending up in New York where she prostituted herself to survive and to feed her drug habit.
Found on a street and hospitalized, Julie was returned to Vinfen at Massachusetts for treatment several years ago. Julie continues to work on her recovery today. She still hears voices but has not burned or cut herself in several years.
She holds a part time job, volunteers at a local shelter and is in contact with her children.
A true story from Vinfen, Massachusetts
Cary
Cary traveled all over the United States growing up, but lacked any sort of connection to his stepfather. This helped lead him to become an alcoholic who would come home after work and drink a 6 or a 12-pack of beer.
In 2004, Cary had to file for both divorce and bankruptcy. He tried to quit drinking several times but always relapsed. He was put in touch with TERROS and began his treatment there in the Spring of 2006.
Cary was placed in a group for men and came to rely on the staff and other patients at TERRORS for support. At the end of the program the staff gave Cary a rock that was solid, round, and smooth to reflect his personality.
Cary is enrolled in Alcoholics Anonymous going through the 12 steps with a sponsor. He has a good job as a carpenter and cabinet maker, and still goes to Cope and Manage meetings.
He now dreams of buying some land in Oklahoma and building a house where his two kids and grandchildren can visit.
A true story from TERROS, Inc, Phoenix, AZ
Manuel
Manuel was orphaned at age 5 and put on a bus from Washington to Phoenix where he was placed in a foster home. He mostly kept to himself and primarily worked in the restaurant business. At age 30, his drinking escalated to full-blown alcoholism mixed with everyday drug use. Drinking and drug use cost Manuel countless jobs and homes, and he could not stay in any treatment programs.
He first landed on the streets in 1979 and temporarily received shelter from friends and acquaintances, but he was soon back sleeping in the streets. He was homeless for 8 years because of alcoholism and the subsequent consequences. He collected aluminum for money to pay for food, drugs and alcohol.
In 2004, Manuel was diagnosed with cancer in various parts of his body and started receiving chemotherapy treatments every other day for three months while still living on the streets.
Manuel eventually quit drinking and came into contact with the TERROS Together program over two years ago. He received nine months of substance abuse treatment therapy through TERROS, and got involved with the MOOD group. Manuel has been alcohol and drug free for nearly 16 months.
Manuel has lived in shared housing in Tempe for almost a year now and has his own room and food to eat as well as the continued support of a number of TERROS staff.
A true story from TERROS, Inc, Phoenix, AZ
Michelle
After overcoming a journey of painful addiction, “Michelle” brought her child to the mountain in search of hope. There she found knowledge, hope, and compassion.
Michelle, mother of five, ranging in age from eight to 23, came to River Oak two years ago with her son “Bruce.” Her youngest, a first-grader, was having behavioral problems in school, making it necessary for her to take over sixty days off work to help deal with her son’s challenges. This led to problems with her job. Disciplinary methods and short-term answers did not help in managing her son’s behavior.
Michelle brought together twenty concerned friends from school, daycare, and people whom she knew cared about her son in an effort to generate ideas of how to help Bruce. A number of options were discussed. Bruce was lucky to have so many believers who could see his potential. As by chance, someone in the group knew about River Oak and that is how Bruce’s story of renewal began and continues.
Michelle accompanied her son Bruce to River Oak in September of 2004. In her words, the organization and the people at River Oak were a “blessing.” When asked to elaborate, she is eager to tell of their patience and insight in helping to deal with Bruce. As she feared losing her son to a series of transfers to other organizations, River Oak gave constancy and stability that helped bring the entire family closer.
His progress in managing his behavior and feelings pleased Michelle tremendously. As the behaviors and emotions started to calm, a new boy began to emerge, and so his potential became clearer.
For the first time ever, Bruce will be realizing one of his dreams: to play on a baseball team. As her child’s and her family’s lives are becoming more grounded, Michelle was also able to reflect on her own personal growth. She has decided that she would like to become a Drug and Alcohol Counselor. Her other son Tony, age 10, is also being helped by a River Oak program and is excelling as well. He is currently taking karate, competing, and bringing home trophies. Clearly, this family has been to the mountain and crossed over to the other side.
A true story from River Oak Center for Children, Carmichael, CA
Sandy and Diane
Sandy knew she had to do something about her drinking or she would lose her new job and possibly even her child. For Diane, that realization came after she was arrested for being under the influence of drugs. Both were able to break free from their addictions thanks to the care they received at Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County.The women graduated from Catholic Charities’ Adult Substance Abuse Program, where they received caring support and individualized treatment plans that included a mix of one-on-one counseling, group sessions, and classes.
The program is part of Catholic Charities’ Behavioral Health Services, which provides comprehensive, coordinated care to people of all ages suffering from mental health and/or substance abuse problems, regardless of ability to pay.
“I had tried to quit before and relapsed. The one-on-one counseling this time around made a big difference,” Sandy said.
Diane agreed: “This is the longest I’ve been clean in five years. They helped me understand what triggers a relapse for me and how to be more assertive. It’s really improved my overall self-confidence. I learned so much about myself and why I use.”
In addition to the one-on-one counseling, both women attended group meetings twice a week, where they checked in on how their week was going, reviewed their short- and long-term goals for recovery, and supported each other in their recovery efforts.
Diane and Sandy say the program has given them the tools they need to stay clean and sober. “I can’t even imagine going back, I feel so healthy now,” Diane said.
A true story from Catholic Charities, San Jose, CA
