SOBER THOUGHTS

FROM THE

CRAZY HOUSE

 

          SOBER thoughts from the crazy house is my debut collection of poetry dedicated to my struggles with addiction, mental illness, and my road to recovery and overcoming myself. This collection is not for the faint of heart and contains serious topics such as drug use, and suicide. It also gives insight into the life of an addict and the troubled mind of an individual faced with bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, mania, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and attention deficit disorder (ADD).

          My illnesses began likely while I was very young due to physical trauma I experienced and progressed as I got older, but went undiagnosed until I sought treatment at the age of 30. I was sober until I went to college where I made up for lost time and quickly began self-medicating with anything I could get my hands on. I continued to follow these bad habits for 12 years. When I was 30 I sought treatment for my substance abuse and found out about my mental health issues which I had suspected for years.  This book poetically chronicles some of the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors on my journey to recovery. It also serves to inspire others to find their voice and share their experiences with their own battles regarding substance abuse and mental illness. Only by talking about it will we get help and only by talking about it will others learn that these things are not subjects to be stigmatized. Substance abuse and mental illness in all forms are major issues in our society that need to be addressed openly to reach a solution.