The Road to Change

My arrival to Advocates was similar to many others I have met in the agency. Soon after New Years 2000, I was released from Westborough State Hospital. This began a kind of second wind in my life, I have lived through many ups and downs in a struggle to understand myself. It wasn’t until I began my time in Advocates that I achieved any real success in my adult life.

One of the hardest things that I’ve had to learn about myself is that I’m an alcoholic and an addict. This is mainly what got me into mental health treatment. Early on when I arrived, I began to learn about what sobriety was. I had mixed emotions about that whole concept. In a lot of ways, I thought I could still use drugs and handle my medications with no side effects. Through many recovery and therapy meetings, which Advocates helped make available to me, I started to get some clean time away from drugs and alcohol.

In my heart, I believe this agency has been very willing and dedicated to helping clients live sober. I do admit that without the help and support of staff in Advocates, I would still be riding those downs in my life. Those downs aren’t overwhelming anymore. The thing I learned about having all this support is that I’m not alone in my struggles. You will discover there are many people who want to help. No one wants to battle mental illness alone.

I don’t want to elaborate about my private unique issues but everyone has them. Privacy is respected in Advocates. So if you’re contemplating about where your next avenue in life is going to be, how about believing in an agency where the staff want you to achieve success in your life.

D. R.