My name is Madi and I am an addict.
May 20, 2019, I entered Westminster House after I hit what I thought was my rock bottom. I was very sick mentally and physically. I had been hospitalized for withdrawal symptoms the week before I arrived and was told by the doctor that I needed to stop and only will power would work; treatment was a waste of money and had very low success rates. This was possibly the worst advice I have ever received. I made it one day out of the hospital before I was drinking and using again. So, I went to Westminster House, but not because I wanted to. I wanted to appease my mother and I saw no other way out of the chaos and mess I had created.
I now realize that my first five and a half months at Westminster House were some of the best, most functional times in my life. I was making friends, reconnecting with my family, reconnecting with myself but I was still living in self-will and by my own rules. I developed an eating disorder and used it as an outlet for my addiction. Unfortunately, when I left Westminster House in November 2019 I relapsed almost immediately because I hadn’t learned to trust those around me and would not take the suggestions of the treatment center. This is when I truly hit my rock bottom. I caused harm to my family, and myself and ended up in the psychiatric ward. I had never felt more hopeless, ashamed, and alone. By the grace of something greater than my self I was welcomed back to Westminster House and this is when the real work started for me.
Without Westminster House, I do not know where I would be today but I do know that I would be miserable, digging my own grave. The House taught me how to live again and take care of myself. I was given three healthy meals a day and the support I needed when it came to nutrition. I was given the support I needed to build connections in the community and connect with the fellowship. The days were full of group counseling, one-on-one counseling, exercise classes, and more which allowed me to focus on bettering myself and reaching my full potential. Whenever I was struggling I was shown compassion, love, and solutions; help was ALWAYS an option.
I learned how to have meaningful relationships that I truly cherish. In my addiction, I was untrustworthy, undependable, and unable to foster any sort of relationship. Today, I am able to show up for the ones I love and be a present, positive daughter, partner, and friend. Westminster House gave me a safe place to learn how to communicate in an effective, honest way so I could start to rebuild the relationships I destroyed in my addiction. I discovered my confidence and I began to be able to stand up for myself and my morals (which were non-existent before treatment.) I am forever grateful for the patience, compassion, and hope that every counselor and care worker has for me and every other woman that walks through the doors. Today I have over 9 months clean, thanks to Westminster House. I have a life worth living today and am truly happy.