This is heroic stuff, to come from the circumstances you both have, and shine an honest light on it, then share with others, shows an incredible strength and dedication.
I watched your talk just now. Thank you for your courageous feat. Its so not easy but its worth it. I work in a jail as a teacher of programs and which one of them is substance abuse oriented. I have taken hours upon hours to learn more about it and to learn as much as I can. I have TED talks listed and provide this list to others. I just added your talk to the long list. I will play it for inmates at the right time and place. Your story spotlights the shame that occurs but also shines a big show of hope. Shame is so incredibly huge and its needs to be thrown out in the open where the light can get in because in the dark with silence it only grows bigger. I know this in a personal sense. Just this past April my brother overdosed on fentanyl and died on the pavement at a gas station. It affected me in a huge way. You have famous peoples kids dying before they even make it to their thirties. Something has to be done and these two are doing something. Applause to you both and all that have supported them.
When you are a people pleaser, and your drug of choice is fixing the downtrodden, there is power in knowing what your message is and Is Not!!! I wish them the best! Shame and guilt kills! My heart goes out to them both, but mostly to her! I wish her freedom from her past, peace and acceptance for her mother, who sounds like a wonderful lady ahead of her time, in a world of not special people. I am so thankful for Brene’ Brown, please check out her videos on shame, guilt, and empathy! And could we stop labeling people as addicts, junkies, mentally ill, overeaters, tanarexic, body dysmorphic, blah blah blah?!!! It’s called being human and making human mistakes! Those who are without sin ( or flaws) cast the first stone! Just what if there wasn’t anything wrong with you??? What then? You would be just as you are meant to be without one damn to give! No reason to feel less than enough, no reason to feed those negative words that have been told to you! Forgive yourself, move on from the haters, and live life on your own terms! Happy, joyous, and free! By all accounts everyone is an “addict” LMAO! If it makes you happy or raises dopamine, people will criticize you for it! Your power is to not give a damn!
Just because these two speakers managed to find sobriety they think we don’t care? They think we are deeply responsible for the addict? That is fine if your addict wants to get sober but if not we both go down hill. Use “me”rather than “we” when you talk about your views. I know a number of women whose sons died of addiction. If I was to tell them they had not cared enough that would injure them even more. They are in so much pain. And yea funding can be improved for addictions and education and care. Absolutely.
