My name is Maria, and I bring lived experience, empathy, and understanding to my role as a support worker. I struggled with addiction from the age of 11 to 45 and have been in recovery since November 2023 - a journey I remain committed to every day. During my addiction, I appeared to be functioning on the outside, but my life was becoming unmanageable. I experienced difficult relationships, made harmful choices, and eventually lost my family, stability, and sense of dignity. These experiences have shaped who I am today and how I support others. For the past two years, I have volunteered with services including CGL, First Step, Lindale and women's groups. Through this, alongside my own recovery, I've learned the importance of responsibility and accountability. I've also developed a deeper understanding of myself, which helps me better connect with and support others in their recovery. I want to support people to feel seen, heard and understood, as I once needed. I am passionate about helping others not only get clean, but stay clean, and build a more stable and meaningful life. One of my guiding beliefs is: "Everything I did in my addiction is not truly who I am. Getting clean can be the easier part - staying clean is the real challenge. That's why I do what I do: to support others in staying clean and moving forward."
