[Music]
[Applause]
I’m a 50-plus year old woman I’m average
intelligence college-educated I’ve been
married for over 30 years
I have two grown children and have a lot
of nice material possessions I am NOT a
PhD nor am i a psychologist I have no
letters behind my name my name is sue
and identify myself as a drug-addicted
alcoholic do I look like what you
thought an alcoholic or an addict would
look like 90% of alcoholics are highly
functional they maintain their jobs they
pay their bills and their family members
stay around them from the age of 12 to
23 years old I went down a very
destructive path I saw things I never
should have been around people I had no
business being around I used alcohol and
street drugs to push away all my anger
and uncontrollable teenage emotions I
had severe consequences at the age of 23
I’d had enough I’m going down a path
that’s not any good so I went to alcohol
and drug treatment and since March of
1990 by God’s grace I’ve been clean and
sober ever since
through the years of my recovery I have
trudged through the wreckage of my past
I work daily on a strong spiritual
foundation based on God and I frequently
help other people with similar
addictions as me what I’ve realized
through those years of recovery is I
have a very addictive mindset oh yes
because I can be addicted to about
anything like food sugar or should I
more specifically say chocolate peanut
M&Ms caffeine and my smartphone the
addictive mindset it works like this
we’ve got pressures coming from all
around us family friends projects
volunteer groups this that my head is
full it feels like a pressure cooker or
a insta pot that edge the pressure has
to come off something needs to relieve
it what is that something if it’s not
the things that I mentioned already is
it smoking prescription drugs Gaming
gambling pornography sex I have in the
last several years been willing to share
a story exposing myself because I want
people to know there there’s another way
there is hope have any of you personally
been touched by the things that I
mentioned
if not I’m sure there’s a family member
a co-worker or even a friend that might
be what do we do my idea today is that
we need to be full of information in our
society’s epidemic state of addiction
what’s going to change if we don’t all
start helping that’s my proposition to
you because we all have a part in this
we all probably know somebody and if we
don’t we just do this I don’t want
nothing to do with that because
basically I don’t know what to do so my
idea today is that we all need to be a
beacon of hope in this epidemic Society
state of addiction well how do we do
that here’s the idea we better get full
of information right what would you do
right now if somebody came up to you and
said I need some help would you do that
I don’t know what to do like okay well
uh what do you do well my idea is you
need to get filled up you need to become
that beacon what’s a beacon to me it’s
like a lighthouse I want to be strong I
want to be there I want to be the light
I want to know when somebody comes to me
what am I gonna do so I’m challenging
you do you know anything about what’s
available to help people in addictions
start at your local level on your
community what do you have in your
community do you even know where do you
start
well going to the public library or the
health clinic that’s in your area to
gather up information that’s good you
can go to local law enforcement they
have great resources that they can help
you with how about a medical facility
can you take somebody there and drop
them off do they take them to detox what
do they do with them do they put them in
a three C do you know how about do you
have 12-step programs in your community
do you know where they’re located what
time they are how what is their
treatment centers recovery homes but how
do you get into those facilities is
there waiting lists is your applications
is there other mentoring programs is
there things in your local church that
are available you need to know one of
the best resources is to know somebody
like me another person that has been
there o other people like in Social Work
a nurse or a doctor find out what
happens when you’ve gathered some
information and you’re saying I think I
could do this a lot of us gather because
we have somebody in their lives that we
know that they need help
but they don’t quite know that they need
help we want to take all of it and go
here this is what you have to do this is
they have to want it they have to hit
their bottom they have to do what they
have to do they have to sincerely want
it you can’t make them on it it doesn’t
that’s the
saddest part about addictions it’s so
sad that many of you you might be in
tears and I’m sad to bring that to you
but that’s reality you have to wait
until they hit their bottom and that’s
the point when people want help there’s
no specific formula there’s no one two
three this is how you help no doesn’t
work like that either you have to be
willing to stand by them if somebody has
come up to you and says they sincerely
want help then they do you can tell you
can tell the difference help them stand
by them be their support
the other thing is love them until they
can love themselves addictions are not a
fun place to be you think nothing of
yourself it’s sad the things that we do
to ourselves so keep loving them get
them connected with somebody that knows
what they’re going through so that they
know that there’s another way to live
that they actually can do this that they
can look different eventually and be
patient the addict is taught to live 24
hours at a time one day at a time to
let’s get filled with information let’s
be ready when someone says I need help I
need help we can
make a difference we can help we can be
the light that shines we can be the
beacon of hope in this darkness of
addiction thank you
[Applause] [Music]
[Applause]
I’m a 50-plus year old woman I’m average
intelligence college-educated I’ve been
married for over 30 years
I have two grown children and have a lot
of nice material possessions I am NOT a
PhD nor am i a psychologist I have no
letters behind my name my name is sue
and identify myself as a drug-addicted
alcoholic do I look like what you
thought an alcoholic or an addict would
look like 90% of alcoholics are highly
functional they maintain their jobs they
pay their bills and their family members
stay around them from the age of 12 to
23 years old I went down a very
destructive path I saw things I never
should have been around people I had no
business being around I used alcohol and
street drugs to push away all my anger
and uncontrollable teenage emotions I
had severe consequences at the age of 23
I’d had enough I’m going down a path
that’s not any good so I went to alcohol
and drug treatment and since March of
1990 by God’s grace I’ve been clean and
sober ever since
through the years of my recovery I have
trudged through the wreckage of my past
I work daily on a strong spiritual
foundation based on God and I frequently
help other people with similar
addictions as me what I’ve realized
through those years of recovery is I
have a very addictive mindset oh yes
because I can be addicted to about
anything like food sugar or should I
more specifically say chocolate peanut
M&Ms caffeine and my smartphone the
addictive mindset it works like this
we’ve got pressures coming from all
around us family friends projects
volunteer groups this that my head is
full it feels like a pressure cooker or
a insta pot that edge the pressure has
to come off something needs to relieve
it what is that something if it’s not
the things that I mentioned already is
it smoking prescription drugs Gaming
gambling pornography sex I have in the
last several years been willing to share
a story exposing myself because I want
people to know there there’s another way
there is hope have any of you personally
been touched by the things that I
mentioned
if not I’m sure there’s a family member
a co-worker or even a friend that might
be what do we do my idea today is that
we need to be full of information in our
society’s epidemic state of addiction
what’s going to change if we don’t all
start helping that’s my proposition to
you because we all have a part in this
we all probably know somebody and if we
don’t we just do this I don’t want
nothing to do with that because
basically I don’t know what to do so my
idea today is that we all need to be a
beacon of hope in this epidemic Society
state of addiction well how do we do
that here’s the idea we better get full
of information right what would you do
right now if somebody came up to you and
said I need some help would you do that
I don’t know what to do like okay well
uh what do you do well my idea is you
need to get filled up you need to become
that beacon what’s a beacon to me it’s
like a lighthouse I want to be strong I
want to be there I want to be the light
I want to know when somebody comes to me
what am I gonna do so I’m challenging
you do you know anything about what’s
available to help people in addictions
start at your local level on your
community what do you have in your
community do you even know where do you
start
well going to the public library or the
health clinic that’s in your area to
gather up information that’s good you
can go to local law enforcement they
have great resources that they can help
you with how about a medical facility
can you take somebody there and drop
them off do they take them to detox what
do they do with them do they put them in
a three C do you know how about do you
have 12-step programs in your community
do you know where they’re located what
time they are how what is their
treatment centers recovery homes but how
do you get into those facilities is
there waiting lists is your applications
is there other mentoring programs is
there things in your local church that
are available you need to know one of
the best resources is to know somebody
like me another person that has been
there o other people like in Social Work
a nurse or a doctor find out what
happens when you’ve gathered some
information and you’re saying I think I
could do this a lot of us gather because
we have somebody in their lives that we
know that they need help
but they don’t quite know that they need
help we want to take all of it and go
here this is what you have to do this is
they have to want it they have to hit
their bottom they have to do what they
have to do they have to sincerely want
it you can’t make them on it it doesn’t
that’s the
saddest part about addictions it’s so
sad that many of you you might be in
tears and I’m sad to bring that to you
but that’s reality you have to wait
until they hit their bottom and that’s
the point when people want help there’s
no specific formula there’s no one two
three this is how you help no doesn’t
work like that either you have to be
willing to stand by them if somebody has
come up to you and says they sincerely
want help then they do you can tell you
can tell the difference help them stand
by them be their support
the other thing is love them until they
can love themselves addictions are not a
fun place to be you think nothing of
yourself it’s sad the things that we do
to ourselves so keep loving them get
them connected with somebody that knows
what they’re going through so that they
know that there’s another way to live
that they actually can do this that they
can look different eventually and be
patient the addict is taught to live 24
hours at a time one day at a time to
let’s get filled with information let’s
be ready when someone says I need help I
need help we can
make a difference we can help we can be
the light that shines we can be the
beacon of hope in this darkness of
addiction thank you
[Applause] [Music]
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