Testimonies
I was a drug addict for 30 years. I started in my teens, from marijuana and progressing to other drugs like cocaine, which got me in deep trouble with the law, to the point where I served three sentences in the state prison. I finally got help at Phoenix House in Dublin, New Hampshire and I’ve been clean and sober almost 11 years now, thanks to funding the state has provided to Phoenix House and other drug rehabs throughout the state.
I’m a graduate of the economics program at Dartmouth College. I’ve been in New Hampshire now for about a year, but spent several years here in school and working afterwards.
I started drinking when I was in high school, but things really escalated when I went away to school here at Dartmouth. From that time forward I really began to drink fairly constantly. Things got to the point where I was physically addicted to the alcohol. I would go through serious withdrawal symptoms when I would try to stop.
I’m a Master’s-level licensed alcohol and drug counselor by the state of New Hampshire. I have a Masters degree in Human Services from Springfield College, and prior to that I received a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Sociology from Franklin Pierce. I’m also working towards licensure as a mental health counselor.
I currently work at the Phoenix House in Dublin, New Hampshire, and I also get to experience time with the inmates at the Cheshire County Department of Corrections.
I didn’t come from I guess what would be the stereotypical type of family that would end up being a heroin addict. I had great parents, a great family, was very good in school and great at sports. I had a lot going on for me.
My history of addiction started when basically I was 17 years old. I was a late starter. I joined the Marine Corps on my 17th birthday and shipped off to California and started drinking. I wanted to be like everybody else. The Marines are really good at drinking and that lifestyle, which I really wanted – the John Wayne movies, the Clint Eastwood, all them guys, and that was the lifestyle I wanted, what I aspired to, and I achieved it very well.
I have a Master’s degree in psychology and counseling, and I’m a licensed clinical mental health counselor, and I work for Child & Family Services. I’ve been working at Child & Family Services for almost five years now.
I’m a program manager and I have the opportunity to be able to supervise staff who are on the direct lines providing a multitude of services to youth, but primarily prevention of substance abuse services to youth that are school-based.
Advocacy
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On Wednesday, May 9, New Hampshire moved one step closer and only one vote away from becoming the 49th...
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On Tuesday, April 24, the Senate Ways and Means Committee put the next to last nail in the coffin of...
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On Tuesday, the House Health, Human Services & Elderly Affairs Committee unanimously voted to...
Policy
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For those of you who do not know me: I am a smart, informed mother. I do not draw a line of denial around...
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Unless you are a policy geek like me, you may not be aware of the drama and excitement surrounding the...
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Decriminalization sends a message that possession and use are okay.
Partnership
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Q. What do the Associated Press, the Concord Monitor, WMUR, National Public Radio and NHPR all have in...
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Approximately 40% of people with a substance use disorder also have a mental health disorder.
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As the weather warms up and we head into the prom/graduation/cookout/wedding season, many of us are...
Leadership
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The media workshop New Futures sponsored with White Birch Communications and the Endowment for Health has...
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Did you happen to see the New Hampshire Sunday News on March 11, 2012? The Sunday News launched a four-...
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On Thursday, March 8, 2012, the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted on HB 1526, which...
