Photo By Elvia Kelly | Lisa Lofton-Berry, Fort Bragg’s Employee Assistance Program, an office within the...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Fort Bragg’s Employee Assistance Program, an office within the Army Substance Abuse Program, spearheaded a National Recovery Month campaign to educate and bring awareness to substance abuse realities and resources available to those seeking help.
Fort Bragg Family members Jenny Schumacher, spouse of an active-duty Soldier, and Kate S., spouse of a retired Soldier, share their stories of addiction and recovery to inspire a message of hope for others who may be in a similar situation they were once in.
“I realized I had a problem when I had to use pills from others,” Schumacher said. “I was in a serious car accident in 1999 and had several multiple injuries, including fracturing my pelvis in half, breaking my L5 vertebrae in my back, losing 5.5 pints of blood, and being wheel-chair bound.”
Schumacher said she tried to outsmart her drug addiction. She researched studies on how to make drugs that “would take away the physical side effects of pain killers.” She began making methamphetamine.
“I had a secret lab in my sister’s home in Alabama,” she said. “Because of a chemical reaction, her home exploded, and I took off running. I later woke up as a Jane Doe on a ventilator in an ICU (Intensive Care unit). This was in 2010.”
Schumacher added she ended up going to prison on a 15-year sentence for a Class A Manufacturing Charge of a Controlled Substance, a first-degree felony. Her turning point was when she received a touching letter from her father.
“When I read the letter, it hit me,” she said. “I’m not proud of how I’ve obtained the authority to write or speak on the subjects I do, but my incarceration and faith go hand in hand. Until I was still, I couldn’t see past myself; once I surrendered my selfish ways, the haze lifted and life began. The many lessons achieved through a consequence so great is what inspires me to share these stories that carry both warning and hope.”
Schumacher said her faith and her community helped her recover from addiction. Because of good behavior, she served a 6-year split sentence of the 15 years. She has since been pardoned for her felony.
Kate’s story of addiction began when she was 11 years old, an age in which she took her first sip of wine.
“At 11, I started drinking a little bit of wine during dinner,” Kate said. “After dinner, I went to get a 12-ounce glass. No one knew I had a problem; I hid it well.”
Kate said she drank throughout school and continued drinking afterwards. She tried to quit on her own.
“I started having problems like blacking out and having pain,” she said. “I knew I had a problem and thought I could handle it myself. I thought I could stop.”
Kate said she remembers a Family member who was sober and talked about Alcoholics Anonymous, where she learned about the support group as a resource.
“At age 24, I went to my first AA meeting,” she said. “I have been sober for 34 years now.”
Because she overcame her addiction with the support of AA, Kate said she has a personal mission to help others, too.
Lisa Lofton-Berry, a professional in Bragg’s EAP, said it is critical to spread awareness and inform the community about resources to help people who are struggling through addiction.
“It’s important to educate (people) that substance use treatment and mental health services can enable those with mental and substance use disorders to live healthy and rewarding lives,” Lofton-Berry said. “Now in its 31st year, Recovery Month celebrates the gains made by those living in recovery.”
For more information about ASAP, call (910) 396-4100 or visit https://home.army.mil/bragg/index.php/my-fort-bragg/all-services/army-substance-abuse-program.
| Date Taken: | 09.30.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 09.30.2020 15:44 |
| Story ID: | 379903 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 272 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Two share stories of overcoming addiction, recovery to help others, by Elvia Kelly, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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