Page 111 - Total War on PTSD

and drug use took off. I was drinking and using just to get through the day (not just to go to bed at night). This is where my “solution” soon became a bigger problem than my emotional distress. Luckily, I was admitted into a 30-day program at Ft. Knox- Lincoln Trail Behavioral Health facility. This is when I truly knew I needed help, but I also knew that mood stabilizers and sleep meds were just another short-term fix (just like my previous misuse of alcohol and drugs). I was discharged from the Army under Honorable conditions in November of 2016. And shortly after, I was back to using and abusing drugs and alcohol because by that time it was my solution to everything.
I was truly ready to die, and I welcomed it. Luckily a friend reached out and got me into a treatment facility located out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and this is when I first found Yoga and meditation. I knew that I had found a new passion and a new solution. My new goal in life was to help other Veterans who were struggling. After treatment, I was homeless/living in a halfway house, with no bank account and desperate for someone to take a chance on me! That is when I reached out to Judy Weaver and Connected Warriors. Judy and this program truly changed my life on every aspect. Without Judy, I know in my heart I would be dead today-through suicide or overdose. This program did not only give me a career purpose. It led me down a path of contentment, community and spiritual growth that most men/women never get to experience in their entire lives. Today, because of Connected Warriors, I am enjoying life drug, alcohol free and medication free (mood stabilizers and sleeping medications). I wake up every morning and make it my mission to help a Veteran. I volunteer on my off time as a Veteran Liaison for the Amiri King Foundation and Save a Life: U.S.. I volunteer to help Veterans find affordable sober living housing through a company called “Sober Living by Tiffany” in Ft. Lauderdale. I truly have an understanding of myself and how I can be most useful to my community and the world around me and I owe it all to Judy Weaver and Connected Warriors”. – Brian Thornsberry, Director of Operations, Connected Warriors
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