Community Update

I was in dire need of detox and a dual diagnosis program. My parents flew me down to Sovereign Health. I have been here for 75 days and I have gotten all the help that I could possibly ask for. I found out while I was here that I have not only a drug addiction but I have mental health issues like Bipolar Disorder and Depression. I am getting a lot of help here.

I had a traumatic event that happened when I was 14, so I started using alcohol. Then it led to other drugs. It got to the point where I pushed away my family and pushed away everyone I love. I was living on a streets when I called my mom and was desperate to go to rehab to get my life back.

I really didn’t think this was just going to work when I first came here. I was really resistant but after about a week or two I opened up my mind to it. I am completely different person now from when I first came in here.

Once I realized I am drug addict and I need help, I started going to the group and actually listening and not walking out. I started getting the help I needed from talking to my therapist. My favorite group is trauma group because it is all women and we all talk about our traumas. We just get it all out there, we get feedback from the women in the group, and it is really helpful.

The individual sessions are one on one and they are a little more intimate. I ask for homework but I get the opportunity to say “I don’t want homework, I just want to talk.” So I get homework for my traumas, and coping skills and then I get to work through them with my therapist and that is just between me and her.

It is an amazing experience and I wish I could stay longer. I am so blessed and so grateful that I got the opportunity to come here. It is a wonderful place.

They have structured dual diagnosis program, but we can give feedback on what we don’t like or what we do like, and then they change it around. We get the opportunity to tell them, “you know, this isn’t working for me.” They always are open-minded, and they want the best for us.

For newcomers, give it a chance. It is going to be tough. A lot of people are resistant. I wanted to go home. Give it a week or two and you realize this is where you need to be. You know, just give it a chance.