Bio AndreaH

Andrea

Hometown:
Jamestown, NY
Positive since:
1998
Relationship:
Married

I grew up in a housing court in Olean, NY. The apartments were connected and the rent was based on income. Income was something my family had very little of. I come from a long line of alcoholics and addicts on both my maternal and fraternal sides. I was the 2nd eldest of four children, one brother and two sisters. My childhood, as I remember it, was one non-stop party (although my siblings remember it differently). We had most of the problems your typical alchoholic family had.

My hero and best friend until I was about 15 was my father. I was a very quiet child and simply wanted to be left alone with my books. My father spent most of his life in and out of jails and institutions. That being said, he was the most intelligent person I had ever met. He influenced most of my decisions including my first drink at the age of eleven, which he gave me.

At the age of 14, my family moved to Jamestown. By that time I was a full-blown, functional alcoholic. I drank every day. I even carried a small bottle with me to school when I went. The purpose of our relocation was to be closer to my brother who was in a group home at that time. By then, my virginity was long gone. Though, I couldn’t say exactly when or to whom I had lost it. I had figured out my body was a commodity. At the age of 15, my mother went to rehab and got clean.

At 18, I became pregnant with my son. I can say for my entire pregnancy I was sober, having seen too many times the results of fetal alcohol syndrome and children born addicted to heroine or crack. My son was born healthy only to suffer from meningitis at two weeks old. He did recover, but was left with brain damage and seizures. Realizing how much work it would take to raise him, his father left. I do believe this was the beginning of the end for me. I found this to be terribly unfair that I was so young and had such a burden to bear. So I dove headfirst into every bottle of liquor and every man’s arms I could find.

Soon after, I began dancing topless at a local bar. A few months into that job, I ran into a few of my brother’s friends, who offered me a ride home. I took it. I found out later that my assault was to get back at my brother robbing them. I tried to file a police report but it was too hard to give details of what had happened to me. So I dove further into the liquor and into the beds of more men (as ironic as that sounds). Meanwhile, my son was left suffering from cerebral palsy and severe brain damage as a result of the meningitis. He also suffered neglect as a result of my addiction. One day, when he was about a year old my mother showed up at my apartment. She told me I had two choices, either go to rehab, or give her custody of my son. I gave her custody.