Popular Post ashley6 Posted November 21, 2012 Popular Post Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 I wanted to share my experience. My counselor asked me to share my adderall addiction experience to 100 high school students, along with 2 other recovering addicts who were addicted to different drugs, all 3 of us young and not what you'd picture addicts to look like as a teenager. They were so attentive. The leaders of the group said it was great and asked us back, so I'll be working with this group of students in the future. I don't know if it will change any of their decisions, I can only hope, but I remember I knew everything in high school, but I gained so much from that experience. It was so therapeutic. If anyone can gain anything from my personal adderall hell, I'm in. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sky Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 sounds cool. at the very least you can plant the seed in the garden of their mind that it only leads to very few ultimate destinations... everyone has to live their own life and learn things however they're gonna do it- probably for most of us that is the hard way, but the lucky ones will hear you, and hopefully live to tell the tail. did it feel good? rewarding? therapeutic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quit-once Posted November 22, 2012 Report Share Posted November 22, 2012 Ashley, If you can influence even one person then you have made a difference. If the class was attentive and asking questions, then you influenced young minds and you have made a difference. It is good that you were part of a team of "addicts" who have differing addiction experiences, because the take home message for these kids is not necessarily that adderall (or whatever their drug of choice was) is a bad drug, but that addiction to anything should be avoided whenever possible. Easier said than done because most people will find themselves in the bowels of an addiction and think "how the fuck did I end up here?" I don't know exactly why it is so therapeutic to share our addiction experiences. The "tell your story" forum on this website is by far the most popular feature and my favorite place to check for new content. I believe it is an essential part of the healing process so we can move on in life, and we grow from our addiction experiences by sharing it with others. The faces of addiction are simply a cross-section of American society. Addicts and their drugs are demonized by our educational and religious institutions so it is easy to picture a drug addict as someone other than your uncle, teacher, or next door neighbor; but that is exactly who we are. Has anybody ever wondered why most (if not all) of the people who post on these forum boards are Americans? After all, you are reading this on the Internet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashley6 Posted November 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2012 Yes, it was so therapeutic. I also have a huge fear of public speaking, so getting through that feeling somewhat comfortable felt fabulous. I think thise of us who have struggled with addiction can do ourselves a major service by sharing our stories. It's annoying to me that people have to ve secretive about addiction because of the social stigma attached to it. You made a good point about Americans only being on this site. My stepmom is Brazilian, and she talks about how different it is over there in how people deal with problems. Ritalin is the only ADHD medication there, and it's hardly prescribed, according to her. We are such a fix with medication society, and it's scary because some of these medications are just like illegal drugs, with not a lot of research on what the long-term effects can be. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Defunct Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 Ashley, do you have notes or a script you could post? I'd love to hear the story from start to finish that you shared with the students! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashley6 Posted December 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2012 Goldman, It was more of a question/ answer session, so I don't, but I did an interview with Self magazine telling my whole story, so when that article comes out I'll post it Some people would rather deal with this in private, but for me, it feels good to share my story and not be hush hush about it all. There's something good with being open about this, for me anyway. To each their own, of course. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motivation_Follows_Action Posted December 11, 2012 Report Share Posted December 11, 2012 Please do!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted November 8, 2013 Report Share Posted November 8, 2013 Yes, it was so therapeutic. I also have a huge fear of public speaking, so getting through that feeling somewhat comfortable felt fabulous. I think thise of us who have struggled with addiction can do ourselves a major service by sharing our stories. It's annoying to me that people have to ve secretive about addiction because of the social stigma attached to it. You made a good point about Americans only being on this site. My stepmom is Brazilian, and she talks about how different it is over there in how people deal with problems. Ritalin is the only ADHD medication there, and it's hardly prescribed, according to her. We are such a fix with medication society, and it's scary because some of these medications are just like illegal drugs, with not a lot of research on what the long-term effects can be. I'm so proud of you Ashley. You have been of service to others from the very start. And that's how it's done in Recovery. You are a shining star; an example for all of us to follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted November 8, 2013 Report Share Posted November 8, 2013 Ashley, If you can influence even one person then you have made a difference. If the class was attentive and asking questions, then you influenced young minds and you have made a difference. It is good that you were part of a team of "addicts" who have differing addiction experiences, because the take home message for these kids is not necessarily that adderall (or whatever their drug of choice was) is a bad drug, but that addiction to anything should be avoided whenever possible. Easier said than done because most people will find themselves in the bowels of an addiction and think "how the fuck did I end up here?" I don't know exactly why it is so therapeutic to share our addiction experiences. The "tell your story" forum on this website is by far the most popular feature and my favorite place to check for new content. I believe it is an essential part of the healing process so we can move on in life, and we grow from our addiction experiences by sharing it with others. The faces of addiction are simply a cross-section of American society. Addicts and their drugs are demonized by our educational and religious institutions so it is easy to picture a drug addict as someone other than your uncle, teacher, or next door neighbor; but that is exactly who we are. Has anybody ever wondered why most (if not all) of the people who post on these forum boards are Americans? After all, you are reading this on the Internet. You say it so well quit-once. Addiction to anything should be avoided, even the good stuff, especially the good stuff. We can find ourselves in the grip of addiction and wonder how we ever got there. We must be aware. We must become vigilant in the observations of our weaknesses as we experience living, for we are forever at risk. It's great that Ashley is a spokeswoman for our forum. This thread was a pleasure to read almost a year after the original post. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashley6 Posted November 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2013 Wow, I barely remember this post! Thank you for your kind words, Jon! I feel like I haven't been as active posting lately, but I'm on here almost every day reading. It reminds me maybe I should post more, whether I can help or not, because InRecovery, quit-once, Cassie, and LilTex were my life lines in early recovery....still are, really along with a lot of you newer members. I'm very proud of you for working hard on staying quit and consistently posting on the boards. Thank again, Jon! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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