Summary: In this episode, Cassandra tells a gripping and moving story of going from perpetually homeless both literally and figuratively to making it home where love and support abounds. Her journey was difficult and painful, but she did make it - she did recover. A couple interesting things Cassandra talks about includes how it can be really hard to ask for help as an addict when addicts are publicly stigmatized and discriminated against. She said she would hear things such as "you asked for it; you're a junkie." This type of attitude toward people who are hurting and wanting help can make it really hard for those people to believe help is truly there if they want it or that they are even deserving of it. Another interesting thing she shares is that when she started to get in a place of emotional wreckage during her first attempt at recovery, she was in the state that she was accustomed to - her life had been in a place of emotional wreckage for as long as she could remember. This brings up the idea that perhaps in early recovery abnormal behaviors or thought patterns can be hard to recognize as abnormal or concerning. This then leads to the idea of community and outside support being so important to help provide insight and different perspectives. There is so much more in this episode than is described above. This truly is a story that moves the deepest parts in us as humans.
