Anon 004

She grew up around alcoholism and later struggled with addiction herself. Going out became a way to escape and use substances. When a man assaulted her, the person she told blamed her for being out, wearing a skirt and being under the influence.

Her partner called her “weak minded”. He could understand her father's drinking, but not hers. When he repeatedly cheated, she was blamed for that too, because she had been going out.

She acknowledges that some of her own actions during addiction hurt people. But that does not mean she deserved the harm done to her, or that her physical and mental struggles should have been dismissed. She wanted someone to hear how much she was struggling.

Now she is finding peace in her own company and in her love of animals. She wants others to know that breaking familiar patterns can be painful, and that there can still be light ahead.