I am 29 and a single mother who made every wrong decision there was to make! After addiction (pills) and surviving domestic violence from the man whom I once wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I'm now 7 years safe from him and sober almost 4 years. Once I wasn't proud of either until I realized how many other people have also survived. I refused to let myself die at the hands of either. I have always been the creative soul and wanted to do something with web design. I never have taken the time to learn more than a few things here and there. I WILL go to school and earn a degree. My goal is to get a degree in web design and business management.
ONE DAY I WILL open up a non profit for women who have been through similar struggles as I have been through. My idea is that it would be a chain of women paying it forward. So many people want a hand out and not a hand up in society, in turn women run back to the only life they know which is drugs/DV after they have no idea how to live a normal productive life. I think it would be rewarding in so many ways to have something that offers support both emotionally and financially to help them become strong independent and most importantly free of the daily fear and loneliness that comes along with abusive relationships.Giving a woman the confidence they need to overcome such strife is extremely important. You are shredded apart into nothing as an abuse victim. When you leave it's like your world has crashed in. Confidence and security are something that MUST be rebuilt after finding your way out for either. I like to think of it as a a chain of hope if you will. Women helping women to move throughout a semi structured program of levels. The end result being freedom and independence
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- Woman still stuck in the abuse/addiction would be mentored and supported by those who have already broken free of it and are actively seeking recovery on a regular basis.
- The women safe & actively in recovery but not quite confident enough to take on the world of independence would then be mentored by those who have achieved a comfortable amount of time sober without so much daily fear of falling back in.
- The next level would be woman who have been actively involved with the program for a significant amount of time who are financially independent, emotionally independent, and confident with a proven track record of staying drug free and safe. They would be leading a healthy lifestyle and looked at by others as mentors or role models of the program or community of woman.
- The last level could be woman who specialize in different areas ranging from the addiction recovery, social work to job training, public resources or even a entrepreneur who could help the women achieve success financially. It could be advocates on the topics surrounding addiction and DV. There are so many ways you could run with this and so many different ways woman could help other women achieve success.
As a recovering addict and former abuse victim myself I understand how hard it is to seek help when you can't even leave the house without being harassed or beaten. With the advances in technology there are so many ways that people can anonymously find help and support. At the very least, I think it would be great to offer a sounding bored and virtual home for those who can't put themselves in the position to be physically harmed or unable to imagine a better life due to no money, lack of family support or friends etc. This is all just a brainstorm and may be an idea that is impossible to transform into reality or just plain wishful thinking. Who knows! I will however achieve one thing and that will be a site aiming to help those who can't find the resources to break free otherwise.
