Real Addiction Stories: Becky

Name: Becky Mead

From: Boise, ID

Addicted to: Alcohol

BECKY’S BACKSTORY

By the numbers, Becky Mead’s chances at sobriety and happiness didn’t look too good. At 19, she began drinking heavily.

She was in college, but after one year she could no longer afford it, so she started partying. Then came depression, PTSD from an abusive relationship, and two tries at sobriety, which lasted about three years each.

The most difficult number for Becky is the one she lost count of. That’s the number of times she attempted suicide before she had turned 56.

ENTER WALKER CENTER

Becky entered one of The Walker Center’s outpatient programs at the recommendation of her probation officer.

She committed to an intense regimen of cognitive behavioral therapy, alcohol and substance abuse education, group therapy, and learning coping skills to increase abstinence, promote relapse prevention, and develop the understanding of the disease model.

She also took part in 12-Step, family relationship and stress management programs.“There’s a real educational component to the program, and there’s a lot of homework you need to do as an outpatient,” Becky said. “But I learned a lot, and I learned how to trust people again.

I even let myself fall backwards from a ladder into a group of fellow students.”

BECKY GOING FORWARD

Today, Becky describes herself as a happy person who finally feels good about herself. She is in close contact with her daughter and granddaughters and hopeful that one day she and her son will renew their relationship, too.

Becky took up a number of creative projects in her sobriety. One of her favorites is rock painting, where she paints rocks in vibrant colors and writes empowering and supportive phrases on them. How special are these rocks?

The Walker Center presents them to people who have successfully completed their outpatient and inpatient programs.

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