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About Kira Lesley, Author of Debunking Addiction Blog

August 7, 2014 Kira Lesley

I never saw my alcoholism coming. I grew up in a supportive, loving family and was always a bright and high-achieving child. I also had obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD, an anxiety disorder) from a young age, although I didn’t know what that was for some time. In high school I was very active in my OCD and restricted eating. I didn’t have time or energy for dating or drinking. I had relatives in rural Oregon who were methamphetamine users and I vowed I would never touch that stuff - but alcohol, I figured, was innocuous. After all, I thought, everybody drinks. I had my first drink of alcohol toward the end of my freshman year of college, and it was a nightmare pretty much right out of the gate.

My Addiction to Alcohol

Kira Lesley, author of the Debunking Addiction blog, tells of her story of alcohol addiction and her journey into recovery and mental wellness.The alcohol helped my anxiety tremendously. But within a few months I already knew I was depending on it in a way that made me nervous. I left school after my sophomore year and moved home. I spent the next two years terrifying my parents and reeling from one insanely drunken episode to another. I bounced in and out of emergency rooms, psychiatric units, detoxes and treatment centers. I didn’t want to die because I knew that would hurt my family too much, but I didn’t want to go on like that either. I wanted to simply cease to exist, to disappear. I believed the sweet, compassionate girl that my family used to love was gone, and they were merely clinging to a memory and a physical shell.

Sobriety and Recovery in Addiction

For reasons I can’t explain, I am still here today, sober over seven years, and healthier and happier than ever. I attribute this miracle to God and, speaking only for myself, it is important for me to acknowledge that. Today I am active in recovery communities and passionate about topics related to addiction, mental illness and recovery. I am a musician and graduate student in history. I live in Portland, Oregon with my partner and our domestic shorthair. I am thrilled and honored to be joining the HealthyPlace team.

My hope for this blog is to explore both fundamental and nuanced issues relating to addiction and recovery in a direct and engaging way. My goal is to offer up food for thought, share my own experience and, at times, to educate. I also look forward to interacting with readers and creating dialogue, because, after all, HealthyPlace is a community.

You can find Kira Lesley on Google+, Facebook and Twitter.

APA Reference
Lesley, K. (2014, August 7). About Kira Lesley, Author of Debunking Addiction Blog, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, March 18 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/debunkingaddiction/2014/08/about-kira-lesley



Author: Kira Lesley

Greg Weber
August, 7 2014 at 8:24 pm

Welcome to HealthyPlace. I'm a new blogger too. Addiction / recovery are important topics for many people with psychological issues. I'm looking forward to reading your posts. :)

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