Marie Paterno
From a very young age, Marie knew something wasn’t right with her. She didn’t understand what was going on, but just knew something was wrong.
At age eight, she was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and was prescribed Ritalin. Neither the doctor nor her parents ever explained what this meant or how it would affect her.
By the age of 12, Marie was using marijuana on a daily basis. Soon she was taking “white crosses” and by the time she was 17, she had dropped out of school and graduated to “acid” and “rush.” She started dealing drugs at 20 and was in jail by age 25. Over the next 18 years, Marie was in and out of jail, turning to prescription drugs and even heroin.
Marie’s dad died while she was in prison, and shortly thereafter she had a spiritual experience while sitting alone in her cell. This made her realize that “enough was enough, and I had to stop doing drugs.”
Out of jail at age 43, Marie came to Partners in Recovery, where she received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Over time, she began attending peer support groups and helping others in the clinic. She attended Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous, where she received her three-year chips for sobriety.
Marie slipped back into drug usage in September 2010. “Everything I worked hard for seemed to be going down the drain…When I told my mother that I had relapsed, she gave me an ultimatum and told me to choose a life of drugs or choose her. That day I chose the most important things to me: I chose my mother. I chose sobriety. And I chose recovery,” said Marie.
Since that time, Marie has been sober, consistently attending groups, counseling and substance use disorder treatment. “I started using the recommendations from my clinical team as a way to stay active in my recovery and avoid high-risk situations that would cause me to make poor decisions. I started focusing on my health and practicing healthy activities, such as eating right and exercising. I began working with my rehab specialist to focus on job opportunities, and I now work at the Marc Center three days per week. I am able to live on my own, in my own place, and pay my own rent,” Marie said.
Marie relies on the support of her mother, sister, brother, best friend, case manager, clinical coordinator, substance abuse counselor and the rest of her clinical team for guidance through her recovery. She is happy because she can now cope with negative feelings and situations without wanting or needing to turn to drugs. “I feel I have changed how I think and how I decide to handle things. I no longer need drugs as a way to get through things,” she noted.
Marie feels she has found the Lord and has a new outlook on life: “I am living proof that recovery exists. I hope my story helps you on your journey of recovery.”
