Everyone has different perceptions of the world. Some see everything in rainbows and sunshine, others see everything in black and white, but some see it as the perfect balance of both. For most of my life, I tried to live with buried secrets of my mom struggling with substance use disorder. I would go out of my way to do anything I could so that it looked like I had the ideal life, even if it wasn’t the best thing for me.
I grew up in a town of 900 people, most of which were very closed-minded and sheltered. These people had grown up there for their entire lives, and never had much education about the world that was truly around them. When I was 13 years old my mom lost our house and I was left couch hopping from a variety of different places. I was put into many uncomfortable situations and my mental health started to plummet. I didn’t understand what was going on. From all of the experiences I endured, I decided I wanted to educate myself about the topic at hand and focus on a solution instead of dwelling on the problem. My aunt played a big role in my life and would often teach me about substance misuse and its effects.
It had never occurred to me that things like this happen, and I was living through it. It is essential that communities get involved in substance use prevention and try to incorporate their youth, so that the cycle can be put to an end and we can break the stigma. It’s not common knowledge that addiction and mental health disorders can be hereditary, and this can be very dangerous. The sooner we educate our families, the safer and healthier we will be. I am now a youth representative for Breakwater, regularly participate in volunteer work, and much more.
Makayla is a youth ambassador with Breakwater and encourages other youth to volunteer or get involved in their community, too. She has provided valuable perspective on how youth receive and react to messaging, campaigns, and opportunities to engage with the coalition. Makayla manages our Instagram account and will be serving as a youth host for the Breakwater Podcast, coming soon!
To learn more, or find out how you can get involved in Breakwater, email info@breakwater.org.
