Homage to the obstacles through lived experience
Being a Drug and Alcohol Caseworker with lived experience of addiction, prostitution, mental illness, trauma, homelessness and domestic violence has provided a different perspective when offering compassion and support to clients in need. It has connection with clients on a different level and build a positive relationship with clients helping them to feel supported on their journey through recovery and addiction. Becoming a support worker and helping light the path for people to health and happiness has offered Natasha a sense of redemption to what were some of her life’s darkest days. Having lived experience mentors and lived experience support workers in the Drug and Alcohol space would definitely open up more pathways for people to heal who may be a little lost on their journey through life.
Natasha would like show and share a great deal of respect to the lessons learnt in overcoming addiction. There is a saying, ‘Once an addict always an addict’. She hopes to be able to provide a new perspective on this statement which can be sometimes viewed as a negative statement or it can be a used as a statement of empowerment. Being an addict or labelled as an addict in the past has shown that a person is vulnerable to weakness or susceptible to bad choices. Natasha would like to pave the way to make change to the stigma surrounding this notion to empowerment. If a person has the strength to overcome their vulnerable side to weakness in regards to bad choices it should be viewed as a sign of great strength and discipline in ones character.