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The Lost Years - Kristina Wandzilak's journey from addiction, street life, escaping and recovering dealing with massive traumas along the way
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During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Kristina Wandzilak, Founder and President of Full Circle Addiction and Recovery Services. She is featured in the television series Intervention, the expert on the television documentary reality show Addicted, a regular guest on Good Morning America, and the author of a book that she co-authored with her mom called The Lost Years. Kristina talks about her past struggles with addiction and how she overcame them and found redemption personally and professionally.
Episode Highlights:
- Rich introduces Kristina.
- Kristina Wandzilak had her first drink of alcohol around the age of 13.
- What led up to Kristina Wandzilak becoming addicted to alcohol?
- She grew up in a family of four kids and two parents.
- Her dad was an alcoholic and anger and fear grew in the house.
- Alcohol seemed to be the most important relationship in her dad’s life and made her curious about it.
- Kristina - alcohol made her feel perfect with her first drink and put her at ease.
- Alcohol became Kristina’s escape from her pain and frustration.
- How did her childhood play out once alcohol played a role in it?
- Kristina turns to cocaine and other substances.
- Kristina’s parents couldn’t control the chaos that she was causing.
- She ended up out of her parents’ house and living on the street.
- Kristina turned to crime to support her habit, including robbing 22 homes.
- One way she fed herself was eating leftovers from hotel hallways.
- The first night she laid her head on concrete to sleep changed her.
- She hit her bottom by living in a homeless shelter.
- She ran away and went to rehab three times.
- Kristina went into treatment at age 21.
- She talks about experiencing rape and forgiviing the man who raped her.
- We do better when we get help.
- A perfect life is an illusion.
- Kristina has met a new man named Roy that respects and supports her journey.
- What was her life pivot and purpose like when her life turned around for the better?
- There is strength in community.
- We can become stronger.
3 Key Points:
- Grief can create empathy and compassion for others.
- The unexpected thought Kristina had while in a homeless shelter was the regret she had for letting addiction derail her personal life and her family life.
- It is counterintuitive to tell parents to let go of their kids during addiction. But it can push them towards choosing sobriety to rejoin the family in a healthy manner.
Tweetable Quotes:
- (Grief) “It isn’t a feeling but a state, a state of living, you know? It is where my children and I live. Under the umbrella of grief comes all sorts of amazing feelings, of course sadness and devastation but also joy.” – Kristina Wandzilak
- “Addiction is a recipe. It is a recipe of many things. I do believe that it is biochemical. It is hereditary. It is environmental. It is social, emotional, and psychological.” – Kristina Wandzilak
- “In a matter of a year, I lost everything, really. I dropped out of high school. I lost my swimming career. All my friends changed and were different. I was out of control. I was angry. My parents couldn’t control me." – Kristina Wandzilak
- “My mom is the hero of my story and had she not let me go that day I would have used myself, I’m certain of it, in her home. It was the only decision she could make.” – Kristina Wandzilak
- (Past addiction) “I don’t think I took a sober breath for three years, I’m certain of it.” – Kristina Wandzilak
- “I think life is like one big sleepover and when it ends, it’s time to go home.”
- Savannah Wandzilak
Resources Mentioned:
- Instagram for Kristina Wandzilak
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 800-662-4357 or 800-662-HELP https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline OR look up a local AA (alcoholics anonymous)
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