Sydney was told that she would be an alcoholic before she ever had a drink. The child of an angry, violent alcoholic, she was the youngest of 7 children, most of whom are alcoholics. Depression, anorexia, suicidal tendencies…all of these were the by-product of her unfortunate upbringing, and what brought her eventually to CoveCare Center for assistance.
Despite these very grim beginnings, Sydney had no real desire to drink until she was 24 when she turned to a saved bottle of champagne after a traumatic experience. After that first bottle, she knew she had unleashed the beast. Drinking became her secret nightly routine.
Sydney’s drinking spiraled out of control when she was laid off from her job. She had successfully functioned for years despite her secret drinking, but the loss of her job was a trigger that opened the floodgates to isolation and non-stop drinking. When her suffering came to a breaking point, she became severely depressed. She was hospitalized on suicide watch and put on an anxiety medication that was contra-indicated for both her anorexia and alcoholism. After being released from the hospital, “I ran to the liquor store because I knew alcohol is an appetite suppressant.” She quickly fell back into increased drinking and continued weight loss.
By the time she approached CoveCare Center, Sydney was drinking “twenty-four by seven”, and was barely aware of what was going on around her. She was immediately seen by a CoveCare psychiatrist who recommended stopping her medication and referred Sydney to one of the Cove’s mental health therapist who recognized that that the decline in her health at the time could soon become fatal , and she needed to get into a rehab environment quickly. He helped Sydney navigate through insurance challenges and other hurdles, and made it possible for her to enter a 32 day rehab.
After Sydney’s rehab was completed, she returned to CoveCare and continued to see her therapist as well as an alcohol and substance abuse counselor who provided guidance, counseling and support as she moved through her 12 step journey to recovery. Working together, Sydney, her therapist and her counselor continued to address emotional challenges that she still had to acknowledge and deal with.
After over 12 months of sobriety, Sydney proudly stated that she is “finally government free — free of temporary assistance and not in need of food stamps.” She had spent the last year living with her sister while she worked two jobs, but now has a fulltime job which allowed her to realize her goal “to own her own apartment, and to get my cats back.” She sees her CoveCare therapist and counselor weekly which she says, “helps me recognize the progress I’m making; like things I am accomplishing now that I could have never accomplished 3 months ago”.
Sydney is holding steady with her sobriety, and with the help of CoveCare Center, continues on her path to recovery while building a happy, self-sufficient and rewarding life that she has dreamt of and deserves.