Candy's story

[Candygirl]

I was probably depressed most of my life, or at least since my parents split up when I was four, but did not know it until I reached my teenage years. In high school I started drinking and using other drugs and almost died when I smoked some pot laced with PCP. I rarely smoked after that episode but eventually went back to drinking and hit it harder than ever before. The guy I thought I was going to marry dumped me out of the blue saying he didn't trust me and thought I would never stop abusing alcohol. At the time I was not sure that he was not right. Soon after I hit rock bottom and got myself to a meeting and was blessed to find a perfect sponsor who guided me through the long road back to living my life alcohol and drug free and not just surviving my life anymore.
I have been in recovery since June 6th, 2003. Once I got sober I started to feel better physically but soon realized I had an underlying problem with anxiety and depression that was probably at the root of my drinking problems. Initially my doctor put me on several different anti-depressants with varying degrees of success. The side effects were too much for me and I told my new doctor and he suggested I enroll in a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy group for my anxiety and depression. My first night there they assigned us to read the cbt book by sam obitz on overcoming his dysfunctional past and though it was written by a man I felt like 90% of the story could have been my story. Over the next 16-weeks I was feeling better than I ever remember feeling, EVER! It taught me all sorts of coping skills that will stay with me forever. That was four months ago and I swear almost every new day is the best day of my life now.