Lifting the voices of those impacted by substance use lets others with similar situations know they are not alone.
NEWSLETTER
Stories of Struggle, Triumph and Resilience
Those with lived experience share how their lives and those of their family members have been impacted by substance use and addiction.
🔊On last week’s Heart of the Matter podcast, “Same Love” singer-songwriter Mary Lambert opened up to Elizabeth Vargas about the traumatic events that contributed to her alcohol use. Through her story, we see the importance of understanding mental health as well as finding healthier ways to deal with stress and negative emotions.
In her teenage years, Mary was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and she didn't want to believe it.
“But I had this feeling where I was like, 'No, I’ve just experienced a lot of tough stuff.' ...It felt inconvenient, it felt like just adding another block to the house of pain. I was like, 'I don’t want another thing. I don’t need another thing. I already have so many things. I would rather not deal with that.’”
To learn more about the link between substance use and mental health and get tips on how to make informed decisions about evaluation and treatment for co-occurring disorders:
Mary used alcohol as a teenager to feel confident and connect with her friends:
“It felt like a way to bond with my friends. It felt like a way to – I felt cool. I felt like I can do what they’re doing. Isn’t it funny when I’m drunk and you like me more, right? Because I’m so funny and I felt like I could call somebody and I have more confidence. That was the impetus for it, but then it did become its own beast.”
Through Mary Lambert’s story we see the importance of self-love and self-care:
“I think sometimes people really scoff at affirmations or mantras or things like that, but they are really powerful. If I can create affirmations through a song, and that’s what I did. Even if the messages were maybe not the most positive, if they were songs that were depressing, it was like, I got to massage them out of myself and it felt like I got to release them. I also saw the impact that it had on other people when I shared it. That felt really motivating to continue.”
The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter hasn’t had alcohol in two years. She has a healthy outlet now: writing music and poetry. Her songs continue to connect with people who have had similar struggles and encourage listeners to share their own stories.
“I needed to talk about heavier issues because it made me feel like my platform and my place in this world had meaning. I like my music to be a kind of utility. I want it to be productive and helpful. That’s where I share from.”
