Nora’s Story

My name is Nora and I ‘know’ the importance of comprehensive family based substance abuse treatment.  I am the mother of two children and began using alcohol and cocaine at 25.  As my addiction progressed, the drugs became a way to cope with the loss of my parents and a sudden divorce.  I was afraid to tell anyone what was going on and self-medicating was the only way I knew to ease the pain.  After a while this combination was not working and I needed something stronger and resorted to crack-cocaine.

Crack cocaine took me on a 23 year journey to horrible and unimaginable places.  My children suffered greatly and I eventually lost them. Their grandmother and father raised them because I couldn’t cope.  I lost several jobs and in the process became homeless.  I needed help so I sought out a substance abuse treatment program.

My life turned around at Queen of Peace Center.  I received counseling, case management, living skills, and housing assistance.  In addition, Queen of Peace Center offered family treatment including family therapy, family education and parenting classes, allowing me to reconnect with my children and grandchildren in a healthy and productive way.

Today I am over 2 years clean, reunified with my family, have stable housing and employed.  I am a member of Queen of Peace Center’s Project Cope, a consumer run empowerment and advocacy program for women in recovery. 

It is critical for mothers like me to receive access to family based treatment.  We stay clean, we don’t re-enter the criminal justice system and we stabilize our families.

 

Nedra’s Story

I am the mother of four children.  At 14 I began using marijuana and alcohol to cope with being physically, mentally and emotionally abused by my parents. 

I started using stronger drugs, heroin and crack cocaine.  As my substance abuse progressed I found myself alone, a single mother with four children.  I eventually lost custody of my children.  I decided to attend a thirty day treatment program which did not provide parent and family services.  I was unable to stay clean.

My life turned around when I was finally able to access family based treatment at Queen of Peace Center where I received counseling, case management, family counseling, parenting classes, housing assistance and living skills.

Today I am over 2 years clean, reunified with my four children and have stable housing.  It is all because of family based treatment services I received at Queen of Peace Center. 

Had I not accessed family based treatment, my children would have been lost in the foster care system and I would most likely be incarcerated.  Instead, today I am a productive citizen.