By KT, NHY Alumni
Life is crazy. It’s basically like a roller coaster. It has its ups and downs. I can remember how I was when I first came to NHY. I was bad. Even though I haven’t changed a lot, I am changing a little bit and that’s all that matters. When I came in here my thoughts were weird and insane. I use to think “people who cry were weak.” But no, I’m wrong. Actually people who can cry are strong. Some people don’t understand that behind every tear, behind every crying session there’s a story. There’s a reason - a reason which made that person stronger. A reason of why they can let it out. I admire people who cry. I think that they are awesome.
I also use to think that everything was hard. Some people used to tell me, “It’s only as hard as you make it?” In the beginning I used to think they didn’t understand me, or didn’t understand anything. I used to say everything was hard from my chores to my homework. One day, I stopped whining and actually did the work. I realized that the only reason I wouldn’t do any work, was basically, I was being lazy. I simply didn’t want to do it. Now I understand what people were telling me. “It’s only as hard as you make it.” There are a lot of things out there that we think are so hard, that really aren’t.
At NHY, every week I realize that I am improving little by little. It feels so good just to know that. Like, every week our drug counselor gives me advice and challenges. One week she told me that every time I start to say, "IT'S HARD", I should change my wording to say, "I CAN DO IT". Saying "It's hard" gives me negative vibes. So why not say "I can do it" and receive positive vibes. I can give myself positive vibes by saying good things, and it feels really good getting positive vibes. Like, this week my challenge was to write down every time I heard my good vibe thoughts. As a result, it stops me from doing bad things. These mental exercises are helpful to all the girls at NHY, because we can use them to cope in real life situations.
Here at NHY, they show us many coping skills. They are really useful when we feel like we should celebrate or when we run into one of our so called "friends". These coping skills help us make better choices. We now are aware that it’s our choice to drink and smoke at a party in order to celebrate. We don’t have to do it. Without those coping skills most of us would relapse. As addicts, any little thing can trigger us. I just think that if you are dependent on drugs you should seek help to avoid getting harder and deeper into your addiction. I hope that my article helps one of your friends, your family members, or even you make the decision to get help. YOU CAN DO IT!