This stunning woman walked into my office in a cloud of pain, finally after cancelling two previous appointments. I never judge, I just wonder…why?
Because it was hard for her to make the effort for herself. After dedicating her life to being there for others, she had forgotten how to be there for herself. We are talking about a woman who cares deeply and then suffers as a result. Her job is about caring for those who can’t afford the help, she has fostered children in need, fostered animals, volunteers, cares for her child with a disability, is a wonderful mother to all her children, is always there for her friends and on and on.
When we forget how to care for ourselves, we put on a mask of togetherness and for Audrey it is her appearance. If I am put together on the outside, then I am OK. This woman is beautiful articulate and intelligent, you would never know there was a problem unless she allowed you to see past the glamour. I am grateful that she allowed me to see her pain and that she continues to trust me. Her honesty and openness is nothing but refreshing.
How did Audrey cope with day to day life without caring for herself? With self-medication and I am sure that many of you can relate to this story. It started with alcohol and pharmaceutical intervention and then when that stopped working it turned to street drugs. This is not someone you would think would ever take drugs or is taking drugs, she functions at a very high level and goes about her daily life, but she needed it to get herself through the day.
Where do I come in? Well Audrey came to see me for help with a skin condition which I saw as something that to her was marring her appearance and stopping her from being ‘put together’ on the outside. What she really needed was help putting herself together from the inside out. I needed to get her to see how valuable she was to herself and those around her and I needed her to see that she could do this without drugs. Drugs are highly addictive and sometimes we need help to stop or at least tamper the desire for them. I helped her with that by giving her a safe nutrient that suppresses the cravings and reward behaviours, it also aids in gently detoxifying the drugs from her body. Drugs also strip the body of nutrients, so we needed to get as many nutrients into her as possible to give back her energy along with the necessary amino acids to make those feel good neuro transmitters.
How is she going? I am pleased to say that since we started with the supplementation, she hasn’t taken any medications other than what has been prescribed. This is not a quick fix but a long journey that we have to take one step at a time. Audrey still has this underlying skin condition that we need to treat, and we will now that the drugs are out of her system. I cannot tell you how incredibly proud of this woman I am, she has helped so many people and now it’s time to help herself.
If you think you have a problem with any type of drug whether it be alcohol, over the counter medications or even prescription medications there is much that can be done to help you. No judgement just compassion.
*Disclaimer – This article was written with the client’s permission; personal details have been altered to protect her privacy. I would like to impress that Audrey is also under the care of both a psychiatrist, psychologist and a GP and we are all working for her together.