I want to finish the year by honoring those in recovery. When I was approached to write about mental health related topics, I felt inspired to break down walls and talk about things that are difficult to speak of but are nonetheless important, which led to the name of my contribution “Time to Talk About...”
It is my desire to share local and anonymous true stories of recovery to help decrease stigma associated with mental health and substance use disorders.
I am humbly reaching out to my readers.
If you have a story of recovery, I want to read it and possibly share it here.
I ask this recognizing that these stories are sacred, sometimes difficult to discuss, and that sharing implies some trust in me.
I affirm that your recovery story will be safe with me (with the exception of intent to harm oneself or someone else – then I must legally report that correspondence for safety reasons). I urge you to leave out names and identifying information so that we can share a story that inspires hope but does not cause harm.
Also, I ask that these stories not criminally implicate anyone (hence the anonymity).
What is recovery? Recovery is learning to live and flourish despite having faced adversity. There is no right or wrong way to recover, so any journey that is discussed is valid.
What do people recover from? You name it! Eating disorders, childhood trauma, substance use disorder, mental health struggles such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD, grief and loss, physical and sexual abuse, religious abuse, divorce, physical health problems, living in Western Oklahoma and being seen as “other” (LGBTQIA+, minority, disabled, secular, etc.), adult child of alcoholic/addiction/dysfunction, survivors of disaster, suicide, and codependency to list a few.
Why discuss this now? The news media and social media seem bent on overloading us with topics meant to upset and divide. We know better than to buy into that noise. One thing we share as a community is the desire to overcome and move forward. Now is the time to collectively celebrate our victories, especially after this unprecedented year.
I recognize that these things are not easy to discuss, hence the desire to keep any stories I receive anonymous. These stories are meant to inspire, illustrate the journey, and celebrate overcoming incredibly difficult issues. My lips are sealed, and my pen, or keyboard rather, will not betray. I submit now my antiquated email address for any stories readers may wish to share: sarahivy1980@gmail.com.
Sarah Mears-Ivy brings 12 years of experience in the field of human sciences and advocacy.