Hope and inspiration from fellow Veterans

Hope and inspiration from fellow Veterans

Carol:

I've been there of wanting to kill myself. Be hiding being on drugs and not wanting to live. I knew what my problem was; it was just the drugs, you know, like wanting to stop, but couldn't stop. You know, like, wanting help, but then at the same time, didn't know what to do, feeling like a failure, feeling like, you know, I'll be better off dead, you know what I mean. But, you know, just, just feeling like hopeless, you know, but knowing it like if I just would, you know, pick up the phone or talk to somebody that was feeling the same way I did that but overcame how I was feeling, maybe like I did have a chance, you know? And, sometimes going to like to the VA hospitals to like a NA meeting or an AA meeting and hearing somebody say that they felt just like I did and for them to stand up there and say like, “Wow, like, you know, I turned my life around.” Like, that gave me some hope. And to hear somebody say like, “Yeah, you know, I tried to kill myself,” and for them to stand up and be like, “Well, look at me now.” Like that gave me some hope too, you know? So, being around other Veterans and hearing them say like, you know, how they overcame alcoholism or drug addiction, that gave me some hope to want to get clean. I think it's a lot of unity with Veterans when we go to those meetings together and hear other Veterans say how they turned their life around; it does give you like a hope shot.