“I recall going to the doctor and my doctor immediately sent me to a detox unit. I got involved in an AA meeting where I learned about my alcoholism and addictions. They showed me what alcohol was doing to me physically and provided educational techniques on how to keep my sobriety,” said Gorrin, who lives in a MCG Residential program.
At the end of November 1990, Gorrin and her husband had gotten divorced and she was having a difficult time adjusting to being the single mother of a teenaged boy.
At the same time, she said, her son was rebelling for reasons that included attending a new school, his parents’ divorce, and new people in his life.
Things soon got worse. She learned that she had breast cancer and would need surgery shortly after Christmas. Following the surgery, she was physically well, but emotionally depressed. She said that before her divorce, she would drink occasionally. But one day she was feeling insecure, picked up a drink, and didn’t stop. Once she completed the MCG Residential program, Gorrin was referred to the CCAN/MCG MICA program, where she met her first case manager.
“She was more than a staff member, she was a good friend, no matter what time I needed her, she was there. She took me to the hospital for additional support and while I was in the hospital, I was referred to CCAN/MCGBH Partial Care program where I began to learn about my second Illness (bipolar disorder),” Gorrin said.
Today, Gorrin knows more about herself and has an improved relationship with her son. The two speak every day and occasionally see each other on weekends. She also has improved her communication with her ex-husband.
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