Looking back on my mental health issues, I never knew I was mentally ill until after I recovered from drugs and alcohol. I was in therapy and had all these emotions coming up, but I wasn’t able to put the pieces together. I thought that I was crazy, but once I understood more about my childhood trauma and began to address it, I could begin to heal.
Hitting rock bottom as an addict was painful, depressing, and excruciating. Looking back, I used drugs to numb the pain from my childhood trauma and my suicidal thoughts. I was so depressed and angry, but I also knew that I needed help. I felt deeply that eventually I could live a productive life and be an asset to my community and to others suffering. But, throughout the years, I have struggled with alcoholism, incarceration, and bad relationships.