I
was once a child - beaten, misused, scared, lost.
Then
I grew up - they called me crazy, strange, scary, a drunk, an addict,
useless, good for nothing.
My
pain ran deep, I felt hopeless and alone.
No
one seemed to care, and honestly, neither did I.
All
seemed lost and I wanted to die - I tried to die.
When
I awoke and my life was not over
I
struggled to believe that there was a reason to go on.
Someone
said to try – to have faith and hope.
I
once was a child, then an adult – your mother, your father, sister,
brother, husband, wife, teacher, nurse…
My
life seemed normal – just like yours – then the illness began.
I
struggle to be heard, yet I want no one to know.
I
have talent and gifts, wisdom and knowledge.
I
want to share, to live, to love.
I
am a human being, not my illness.
I
struggle, I fall, I move on, I hold on.
One
moment at a time, one day at a time, the darkness that was my life began
to fade.
I
found hope, I began to believe.
There
is hope, I can hope – you’ve shown me how.
I
can recover, I can live, not alone, but as so many others do - proud,
successful, happy, fulfilled.
I
don’t have to die to forget the pain, I can grow and share hope.
I
have an illness, I have addiction
I
am still alive – with purpose and mission.
I
am alive – no longer alone…
