Michelle didn’t have a particularly difficult childhood, she was just “wired different.” When she went out to drink at night, the party didn’t stop when the bars closed.
The Student Faces of Recovery event on Tuesday aimed to bring attention to the challenges people recovering from substance abuse face at the CSULB Beach auditorium.
“I cannot drink without having consequences,” Michelle said.
Michelle [choose to omit last name] is recovering from substance abuse and alcoholism and is a member of Beach Recovery at Cal State Long Beach. She said she has been sober since May 7, 2012.
Beach Recovery, a support group for students battling addiction, hosted the event. Students in Beach Recovery spoke about their experience with substance abuse and recovery.
The goal of the event was to get the word out about what Beach Recovery offers students and to “get more allies for the community,” said Theresa Nguyen, a master’s student in the social work program and the coordinator of the event.
“Addiction is a stigmatized disease few know about,” Heather Mazzei said. “They don’t understand the value and meaning behind recovery.”
Mazzei is a student in the masters social work program and the founder of Beach Recovery. She said she saw the need to bring a recovery program at CSULB last summer while participating in Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs program (ATOD) during her undergraduate career at CSULB.
“No one should have to choose between pursuing recovery and education,” Mazzei said.
Amanda Martin, a senior sociology major, said she has been sober since February 19, 2011. She said she used drugs to distance herself from everyone.
“I was really good at not being myself and not being in touch with my self,” Martin said. “I became this master manipulator with smoke and mirrors all over. And it worked. I got what I thought I needed. But now I see I created this hollow existence, this shell of the person I could be.”
She said she never had strong aspirations to go to college after graduating from high school.
“I came from a family of professional f-k ups,” Martin said.
After two years of sobriety, she was accepted into CSULB. She said this was her proudest moment during sobriety.
“I want to be an agent of social change,” Martin said.
Both Mazzei and all three speakers emphasized the importance of strong support networks during the recovery process.
Michelle said that it is her support group that allows her to continue to stay sober.
“The obsession for me to drink and use has been lifted,” Michelle said. “I still stress out… thankfully, though, I found people who I can bounce things off of and I have people who support me.”
Michelle said she started drinking when she was 12 years old and it became an addiction when she started college.
“When I thought about people who had issues with drugs and alcohol, I always thought of somebody that was homeless with a brown bag, asking for money on the corner,” Michelle said. “There was no way I could be in that category. I think that that’s what alienates people from seeking recovery because they have an idea of what somebody with a substance abuse disorder looks like. I am here to tell you today that that is not the case.”
Attendee, Veronica Gama, a senior sociology major, said she found the event very informative.
“Because I am interested in social work, I need to see all aspects of people who need help,” Gama said.
During a Q-and-A portion of the event, an audience member asked how to help a friend struggling with addiction.
Martin responded that the desire to recover has to come from within and that the only thing people from the outside looking in can do is to be there and be ready to help when the person is ready.