DOING IT FOR ME! Sobriety isn't easy; it's worth it. It's the catch phrases I use all the time because if you think about it rationally, it's true. As a proud recovering alcoholic, sobriety isn't easy; the phrase is a daily reminder of what I have to do to stay sober. If I...

My relationship with alcohol has always been a bit tumultuous. I can admit that I had some fun in my early days. The appeal, for me, was suddenly feeling confident and pretty, laughing a little harder with friends and finally feeling like I fit in, but I never drank like other...

My husband and I could talk all day about our son’s wonderful, sweet, happy childhood. Our story is really no different from the tens of thousands of stories of families who have lost a loved one to an accidental overdose. Our son, Tynan, was a happy child. He was good-looking,...

My name is Mandee and today I celebrate two years in recovery. I started using drugs at a young age and as time went by I started using harder drugs. Heroin became my drug of choice for 6 years and it became the only thing that mattered. I honestly thought I was going to be an...

I Once Was..... By Sonny Cruz #MYTOXICLIFE I once was a sinner I once was a saint I once was a youngster Who huffed on clear paint I once was a blind man Who wished I could see Cartoons in rainbows So I took L.S.D. I once had a vision And once had a dream I once sniffed a powder...

Our son was a 4.0 student who found his calling assisting and counseling young men with disabili­ties in Fresno, CA. He was a very smart and caring person who had a love for life, all around beautiful human being. His favorite pastime was playing his guitar and reading. He was...

My name is Kat. I am sharing my story in the hopes that someone out there reading can relate, and can find that little drop of hope they need to keep fighting or to finally ask for help. I have struggled since I was very young with feeling different. The tall awkward girl with a...

Our son Adam kept his addiction to himself, calling it a "hobby'. When the pills "ran out of road", he turned to fentanyl and died after using it twice. No heroin in between the two, that would have made him "an addict", in his mind. The reality was that he was exactly...

It all started with thumbsucking: my first coping mechanism to deal with emotional pain. At 8 years old, I was sucking my thumb and then hiding it whenever I could. I was a functioning thumb sucker. Eventually the pain of embarrassment from those around me got to be so great I...