Sharing your recovery story can be difficult, but it can also be inspiring and generate hope in others. Sharing your personal journey through the ups and downs of living with addiction and mental health issues can let others know that help is out there, ans there’s a better life waiting for them. Sharing a personal story recovery is just what addiction & parent blogger Lynne Huysamen did…and she did it in a big way. She writes about her experiences in a way that’s honest, authentic, and refreshing. Lynne Huysamen was kind enough to answer a few questions for us and let us know her thoughts on sharing journeys of recovery, and how sharing her personal story affected has her life.
What was your journey to recovery? What is your story? My journey into recovery was not a straight line, I guess it very rarely is when it comes to addiction and recovery. I spent 15 years using and almost all my relationships were damaged and unhealthy. My journey to recovery started when I landed up in the psychiatric ward feeling sorry for myself because of an abusive relationship I was in. It was not for another few months that I could see the truth of my situation but that was a turning point and the start of me working on myself. I was actually in denial of my problem even when I booked myself into a secondary care facility for addiction. I couldn’t understand what the problem was, in my mind I was just going through a little wild patch and I went into treatment to get everyone off my back. During my treatment I came to realize what a mess my life was and how far down I had gone. Sharing stories of addiction and mental health recovery is a courageous undertaking. What made you decide to share yours, and to do so on such a large scale through your blog? I work the 12 step program of recovery, it is the program that got me clean and has kept me clean. The 12th Step is about sharing the message of recovery. I have been sharing about my recovery and my journey long before I started my addiction blog and it helped me, plus it helped other people. I was already blogging on another website about parenting topics. It just made sense to me to start blogging about my addiction too. It makes my recovery stronger and the thought that perhaps I could help someone at the same time is incredible. Some people feel that stories of recovery should remain private and out of the public eye. Do you feel it’s becoming necessary to move beyond this mindset and start having the conversations around braking the stigmas associated with addiction and mental illness? Breaking the stigma and shame surrounding addiction is exactly what I am trying to achieve with my website. I have yet to find someone that has looked down on me for sharing my story and I find that very encouraging. I have had received a lot of support from everyone I have come across and the response to my blog has been amazing. Has the “addict” label affected your personal or professional life? Has that been a hindrance or a help? I don’t really think it has affected my personal or professional life in any negative way. In early recovery being an addict was such a huge part of who I was, it was on my mind all day every day. I thought when people looked at me that was all that they saw. Now that I am 8 years clean the fact that I am an addict is just one small part of who I am and I don’t think about it much. I don’t think people look at me and the addict label jumps out at them either. How is your day to day life impacted by recovery and what helps you maintain your sobriety? I was taught in addiction treatment to take inventory at the end of every day, to see what I have done well and what I could have done better. It is a good way for anyone to live their life. In the early days my recovery program kept me clean, working the 12 steps and surrounding myself with other addicts in recovery. A lot has changed now. I have my own little family and they keep me clean. I cannot imagine using and not being present for my young children. My children make me a better person and they have taught me what love is. How has maintaining an addiction & mental health blog helped in maintaining your sobriety? Sharing on my blog is now part of my recovery process. I find it healing to share my story and I get lots of feedback from people all over the world which is incredible. Knowing that I am helping other addicts by sharing my story is healing. I never dreamed that this blog would reach so many people and have such an incredible response. A lot of addiction issues are impacted by associated mental illnesses, and treating both in the same setting (dual-diagnosis) is a huge benefit to long-term sobriety. How did your mental health impact your addictions and do you feel that dual diagnosis aided in your recovery? I was not in a very healthy mental space at all when I got into recovery, I doubt any addict is. I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and I was put on medication to help stabilize my moods. That was 9 years ago and I am still taking some of those mood stabilizing medications today. From what I understand having a dual diagnosis is very common and treating both your addiction and your mental disorder is vitally important. If one is left untreated it can impact the other. Going on mood stabilizing medication and seeing a psychiatrist regularly certainly helped me with to get clean and stay clean. What would you say to those searching for help with addiction and/or mental health issues? There is always hope, if you want to be clean and you want to be happy you can do it. If I can get clean, stay clean and find happiness then there is hope for you too. I was the lost cause, the one that everyone thought was beyond hope. Reach out to someone and ask for help.
