Day Job:
London-based actress and writer, casting associate

What I lost to addiction:
My humanity. I was really living in a highly animalistic way, a victim of my impulses and compulsions. I had no concern for the welfare of others. I also lost my mind and was on the way to serious mental illness, hearing voices and experiencing extreme paranoia.

My drug of choice was crystal meth so I stopped eating, or rarely ate and I would stay up for 4 day stints. This had a negative effect on my health and contributed to Premature Ovarian Failure at age 37.

At my worst, I was:
Paranoid and insane, with drug induced anorexia. I kept getting into serious trouble with the law as I had lost my morality and humanity. I was a broken wreck of a young woman of 25, wracked with self hatred, guilt and shame.

What worked for me:
I am a Nichiren Buddhist and that has supported my ongoing recovery with regular gatherings and individual support if needed (find more on Nichiren Buddhism at http://www.sgi-usa.org). I also work with a psychotherapist.

Advice to my younger self:
Trust yourself and acknowledge your intuition and creativity. Listen to others more but be selective about who you listen to; listen to your true self and recognize when you have lost your center and been swayed by others. Most of all, love yourself, encourage and nurture yourself.

Rules I live by:
“Life is simple, but we insist on making it complicated” ~ Confucius

When cravings come:
I use my Buddhist practice which involves chanting morning and evening, a form of voice meditation.

Best advice for newbies:
Be gentle and kind to yourself. In the words of Audrey Hepburn, “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!”

What I value most in recovery:
Maintaining personal dignity and self respect. Helping others become happy, or happier.

Stigma I faced:
A lot of my old friends in the UK, from school days mainly, were not understanding of the depths I plummeted. I believe they were frightened by me and my experiences which is understandable. But it was hurtful and I created a whole new life, which included new friends, for the most part.

What I learned about myself:
I made some very poor choices, but I am not my choices. I am a work-in-progress and that is okay.

How I get through the holidays:
I make lots of plans so I don’t get caught up in feeling sorry for myself. I also volunteer at an animal rescue center; I find animals very healing to be around, as well as walks by the sea.

Proudest moment:
When my book, ‘Tweaking the Dream: A Crystal Meth True Story’ came out in 2009 about my addiction to crystal meth, I felt I had created value out of a very negative situation.

I had also started raising awareness in the UK since 2005 and spoke publicly on TV & radio about the dangers of the drug that was new to the UK. It was also classified as a Class B drug (not harmful) and I like to think my voice contributed to its re-classification to Class A (highly dangerous).

Follow Myers: http://cleamyers.com (includes a link to “Tweaking the Dream”)

Shed the Stigma:
If you’re a person in long-term recovery who wants to share your insights, please contact us at [email protected].