About Melissa Sharman
I grew up in the small, growing community of Prattville, Alabama. I fell in love with reading and writing at a very young age. For me, it was my only escape from reality. It allowed me to be a part of new worlds and experiences. When it came to writing, I could create my own reality in a way, one that made me happy. I was a struggling child, and at the time, reaching out for help was impossible. My path would ultimately lead me to addiction and near death experiences.
I am an Emergency Room registered nurse, and my hobbies consist of reading, writing, video games, music therapy, and my little goat farm. I love the outdoors and all wildlife. I am also a recovering addict. The date of my last use was September 1, 2020. I am hoping my story will reach out to others including healthcare professionals. It's never too late for us. Don't be afraid to reach out! I am A NURSE FOR RECOVERY.
My Latest Project
Rising from the Ashes Like a Pheonix
A Nurse Interrupted.
For me, life was quite simple in the early years. My parents appeared happy, we had a home, we went to school and church, and we enjoyed family functions. I guess you could say we were as close to normal as we could possibly be in Alabama. However, things abruptly changed in 1993 when my parents divorced. I was only eight years old. My brother went to live with our dad, and my twin and I stayed with our mom where we witnessed alcohol, drugs, sexual explicit material, and violence.
Chaos, abuse, emotional pain, anxiety, and depression became my life. I was surrounded by a dysfunctional family, one you would most definitely find in a psychology book. I would leave home at the age of nineteen and by twenty-three, I would be alone with two daughters and two failed marriages. I was on the verge of suicide until a man came into my life and saved me. However, even he wouldn’t be able to stop the destructive path I didn’t realize I was still on. After being manipulated by people I thought I could trust while attempting to join the Air Force Reserve and having my daughters snatched from me, I fell into a twelve-year legal battle with a corrupt justice system, a good ol’ boy southern justice system.
More trauma, more pain. However, throughout this, I was able to overcome my husband’s deployment, nursing school, and brain surgery, but it still wasn’t enough to put me on the right path. I began to resent God among many others. I ultimately began to abuse IV narcotics to numb me, my feelings, and my emotions. I wanted to be dead inside. Literally.
My story is a tale of perseverance, resiliency, and strength. It provides others how traumas throughout the lifespan shape us, and how addiction behavior begins long before one starts to abuse. It also provides insight on how the nurse ends up abusing drugs in the workplace and how they can reach out for help without the worry of losing their license or career. I didn’t know how to reach out for help. I was going to end up in an institution, jail, or six feet under. This story will give hope to many, including healthcare professionals, struggling in today’s challenging society.
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