Lessons from Life

The book is about the adversities the author experienced resulted from using and abusing drugs and alcohol which led to a diagnosis of a mental illness. The author explored her darkness from using drugs to experiencing her nervous breakdowns. If overcoming meant not using, she didn't know or realize this until years later. She would go on to discover the support of friends and family members through their love, care, concern, and compassion for her. As the author accepted help, she learnt to give help to others as well. The author experienced changes, and it is her aim to share in these experiences as learning experiences. She found out that the effects of using and abusing drugs and alcohol caused addictions, nervous breakdowns, and led to a diagnosis of a mental illness called schizoaffective disorder. After her diagnosis, it took years for her to realize that using wasn't right for her because it destroyed her mental health, but she did change by quitting the abuse of drugs and alcohol so to improve her mental health and well-being. The author didn't do it by herself because she had the support of friends and family members that held her up even when she was down and picked her up when she needed their help. And this will be shown in the poems she has written for her potential readers.