- Alcohol
I have been a social worker in the Bronx, NY VA hospital for five years. I’ve worked in the substance treatment community since 2007. Most of the time, I’ve been dealing with outpatient services and I am hoping to start working more with women in recovery. I have been in recovery myself for 10 years.
My father was a Vietnam veteran who struggled with alcoholism. His addiction formed a lot of childhood memories. I experienced a lot of trauma and abuse growing up that contributed to my own struggles with alcoholism. I became a teenage mom and ended up dropping out of high school but I always knew I wanted more for myself. I eventually went back to school and ended up going to an Ivy League school for graduate school. It wasn’t until grad school that I was able to get clean.
I went to Columbia to initially work with women in trauma but ended up getting a job in a treatment facility. That’s one of the reasons I can engage with my clients effectively. I’m the model for showing them that it can be done. You can turn your life around. After working at the facility for six years, I began to feel called to work with veterans.
When I speak to my clients about recovery, I am sure to be honest with them. I tell them, “I won’t lie to you. It will be difficult but it is worth it. It is about living the life you are supposed to have.”