‘I just needed someone to speak with’

Photo of Face It TOGETHER sign

By Carlos Guirola, Face It TOGETHER coaching member
Published May 30, 2019

I was an individual who, like many, had dark experiences that led me to rely on substance use to feel okay. Getting high was my way of forgetting the past and feeling happy. But the happiness that drugs and alcohol gave me was only an illusion; it was my way to suppress the trauma.

I tried hiding from it, but at the end it caught up to me. Finally, the strongest thing I did for myself was to admit I was weak and I needed the help. Before coming to Face It TOGETHER, the only person I had to truly talk to was myself. No one ever expressed a genuine connection with me – I didn’t believe it was okay to be vulnerable with anyone.

I didn’t have the trust in anyone to admit that deep inside there was something wrong with me, so instead I presented myself to everyone as being happy. I thought that expressing my sadness would make me weak and someone would take advantage of that.

When I came for my first day at Face It TOGETHER, I was skeptical to share my inner emotions and secrets with someone who I believed was “trained” to say the right things without any emotion. I was completely wrong.

The very first day I met Terri, she established a connection with me. She spoke to me freely in a way that made me feel this was a safe environment to comfortably speak of my own emotions and trauma. The peer-to-peer method at Face It TOGETHER establishes this wonderful connection with whomever you are speaking to.

For me, it led me to truly believe the coaches at Face It TOGETHER speak to you with such genuine emotion. Going to my weekly sessions at Face It TOGETHER, I was able to identify the rocks that were weighting me down. With my coach, I was able to positively move forward without having those rocks on my back.

I came to realize that all this time, I just needed someone to speak with. I appreciated how open my coach at Face It TOGETHER was – by her sharing her past experiences, it gave me hope that I could also overcome my trauma. Face It TOGETHER is a program that is dedicated to help you become the well individual you have wanted to be.


More stories