“What you don’t see is depression and addiction. You don’t see jail, and rehab, and a woman who would soon be found by a passerby trying to jump off a bridge. You don’t see a high school freshman being forced to grow up too fast, or an open casket.”
‘In this photo you see an aunt mid-laugh, posing with her niece on her 40th birthday. It was a good day, a really good day.’: Niece urges ‘recovery is possible’ after losing aunt to addiction
‘Where is your husband?!’ I took the kids to a party less than 48 hours after giving birth, newborn in one arm, champagne in the other.’: Mom overcomes affair and alcoholism for her kids
“I earned points by doing things he wanted, when he wanted, how he wanted: cleaning the condo, home-cooked meals, editing his work emails, sexual favors. When I hit 1,000 points, he asked me to marry him. For him, it meant ‘I control you.’”
Dear Generational Curse Breakers, You Did It—You Freed Your Family From Hurt And Pain
“Not just for yourself, not just for your own child. You changed the path for all of those to come. I hope you take a second to show yourself love, a second to say, ‘I did it. It stopped here,’ out loud.”
’My mom is away on business,’ I’d say, as I undressed her and threw her into the shower.’: Daughter loses mom to addiction, rheumatoid arthritis, ‘I want to make her proud’
“My mom endured higher and higher doses of medicine. I remember joking to the doctor, ‘If you gave her elephant tranquilizers she’d take them.’ She couldn’t stand.”
‘She’s just a stressed millennial and needs to take Valium.’: Woman survives brain hemorrhage, becomes stand-up comedian
“I was 22 when my head exploded on a Tinder date.”
‘I shot heroin into my IV while in the hospital.’: Recovering addict shares sobriety journey, ‘I’m moving forward’
“I gave birth to a baby boy. My life was no longer mine to destroy.”
‘I’ve been drowning for so long.’ I washed my hands until they bled and cleaned obsessively. My brain played tricks on me.’: Nurse becomes mental health advocate, ‘You’re NOT alone’
“My family and friends told me, ‘Calm down. Everybody gets stressed.’ I watched my parents Lysol my whole car, shaking on the ground and unable to move. Being on the other side of healthcare as the patient everyone assumed was ‘crazy’ felt absolutely surreal.”
‘That’s just the coke talking!’ I shook 5 Ambien into my hand. It had become a full-blown dragon.’: Former addict celebrates 20 years of sobriety. ‘I made the mess into a lesson’
“I didn’t think of prescription drugs as ‘drugs.’ I washed pills down with Amstel Light. I thought I was doing what I needed to do to sleep.”
‘I’m cutting ties with you, mom. This is not the life I want for my children. I’m setting myself free.’ I awoke to numerous texts and calls.’: Mother battling meth addiction 3 years sober after wake-up call goes viral
“At 16, I was pregnant with twins. ‘I promise to help you raise them.’ Days later, you ended up in jail. I cried for you as they prepped me for an emergency C-section. I desperately needed you there to hold my hand. You missed my graduation, the birth of my children. I spent years wondering how you could leave me. My love could never keep you sober. Then, I wrote my goodbye letter.”
‘A guardian angel called 9-1-1 as I convulsed in a coffee shop parking lot. At 18, I’d lost 20 jobs and been arrested 14 times.’: Man 13-years sober after long battle with addiction, ‘We’re not meant to live in darkness’
“As I lay in the ICU, I could see my mom raging in disappointment and agony as she tried to explain the situation to her colleagues. Where was the little boy she used to sing with? The little boy who helped bake cookies for Santa and colored Easter eggs? My life had spiraled out of control.”
