Sylvia's Journey
“Hello, my name is Sylvia. I’m a grateful recovering alcoholic and drug addict. A survivor as well. I am humbled and privileged to be asked by my peers to share my strength, experience, and hope with you,” says Sylvia.
Sylvia remembers keeping the hardships and the trauma she experienced as a child to herself. But not today. She talks about them and is working through them because she knows it is a key to maintaining the serenity, mental health, and wellness she values.
Her story begins at just 7 years old. She remembers getting A’s in all of her classes and graduating with honors. What people may not know is that it was also a time that she remembers being bullied by peers and first experiencing sexual abuse from a family member. To cope and try to escape, she leaned into homework, sleep, and music.
As a teenager she recalls living in an impoverished part of the neighborhood. Houses filled with and selling drugs were all around them. She was a target multiple times for rape, which led to the birth of her first child.
Even after the chance to move away and start fresh, she was met by another predator. She was excited to get a great job, but the new predator ended up being her boss. Next thing she knew, she was running away with her baby at 17.
When a friend invited her to go live in California, she took them up on it and left her baby with her mother until she knew it was safe to bring them out there. It was never safe. What started out with her excelling at starting college, turned into her getting kicked out onto the street and not being able to turn away a great job offer. A family member got her a job as a secretary – one that came along with parties, trips, meeting celebrities, and lots of cocaine.
She remembers the fast life taking over. Getting high all the time. The messes she got into. Her history of working for pimps. The 9am-5pm jobs she tried to make work. Having more children that her mom raised. Throwing a quarter of a million dollars of cocaine in the toilet after reading her Bible. Weathering the storm of her first major depression. Getting arrested. And more.
“I was beginning to get sick and tired of being sick and tired,” exclaims Sylvia. She prayed to God for answers. She felt like the world was on top of her and that she couldn’t find a way out. She continued to self-medicate using a wide variety of drugs and alcohol for her mental illnesses.
She would be taken to the hospital for her mental health, but would be stabilized, released, and then start all over. The cycle stopped when she was required to stay at the hospital for 6 months after a violent altercation happened between her and a man that wasn’t happy about her ending things between them. Although she got 2 years of probation and a year in prison, she says that something great came out of it – her mental health was being contained. She even got her associate’s degree in communication, went to recovery class and got sponsored to keep doing it for another year, obtained several certificates for Recovery with Jesus, and worked on other skill building.
Sylvia learned that her family had a history of mental health issues and that she has major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. She was adamant about continuing to seek serenity, mental peace, and other resources. Her social worker gave her a card for Places for People (PFP).
She remembers how we helped her with a variety of things, such as food stamps, ID, social security card, housing referrals, transportation, counseling, medication, and more. Along with services, a staff member, Emily, stood out to her right off the bat. She was quiet, gentle, and compassionate – having the exact kind of aura she felt like she needed to be around.
“They never let me down since I’ve been with them in 2019. Never. If it wasn’t for PFP, I would be going to a lot of different doctors trying to find that niche of getting the mental health and wellness treatment that I so desire,” says Sylvia.
As she began to heal, find her voice, and gain more knowledge about community resources, both at PFP and beyond, Sylvia said, “I started to see a sense of independence developing. A sense of serenity and mental stability. Then I began to gain financial stability.”
Sylvia proudly states that this was when she started to feel whole again. She realized it was OK to have emotions and not be afraid to face anger, disappointment, and resentment she was holding onto.
Other major steps started happening when she started reading Narcotic Anonymous (NA) books, got a sponsor, and was even asked to co-chair meetings on Saturdays. Leading groups and being a leader among her peers has become a passion of hers. So much so that she is seeking out the opportunity to become a certified peer support specialist, and later, a drug and alcohol counselor.
She looks forward to carrying the message of hope to others and living a stable lifestyle in serenity and sobriety. With her new lifestyle, she’s thrilled to now have her own place to live and to have improved relationships with her family.
Today, she considers her mom to be her best friend. Her sister that never lost hope came with Sylvia to share her story with us (see photo below). As a mother of 6, Sylvia has found ways to honor the child she lost and reconnect with her 5 children still with us today. This has led to the opportunity to get to know her 11 grandchildren as well.
Social family activities, phone calls to check in, and sending each other pictures is now a normal occurrence within her family. Something she wasn’t sure she’d ever get.
Sylvia, we admire all you’ve done to create a beautiful life for yourself and all you’re doing to inspire and guide others! We can’t wait to see you continue to achieve your dreams!
Hear From Sylvia
The uneasiness and unrest in my spirit, in my mind, in my heart, was dissipated. And so I was beginning to feel whole again.
Sylvia
Person Served