EP 085 - Finding Grace In Grief with Cassi Barreras

Cassi Barreras grew up in a household where alcohol & drug use was normalized. She stated, "though that’s how life was for everyone". By 14, she had her first child; by 16, she was a mother of two. After a car crash at 17 years old, Cassi was introduced to pain pills and she became addicted. She realized she had a problem when experiencing withdrawals over a holiday weekend. She used methamphetamine to overcome her opioid addiction. Cassi found herself at rock bottom when her daughter called and told her to either give up substances or stay out of her family’s lives forever. 
Cassi tried to white-knuckle it but ended up drinking which led to using methamphetamine. Cassi went to treatment ready for a change. She worked the steps to prove they wouldn’t work for her - which didn’t end up being the case. Today Cassi still experiences difficult things, the loss of her daughter and her mother in a little under two years, but she has created a support system to help her through those times.