Before my Recovery International training, I didn’t have a life. My obsessive-compulsive disorder consumed many of my waking hours. Anorexic, I couldn’t hold a job. I trained at a gym for three hours every day because I thought I was fat. I joined Recovery International three years ago and have held a job for two and one-half of those years. Today I go to the gym for my mental health.

I now exit my car like an average person. Formerly, I took 45 minutes to feel secure enough to get out. I had a complete ritual of checking and rechecking to ensure everything was shut. Once inside my home, I would return to my car several times to check again, even if it was raining or I was missing my favorite TV show.

Recovery International has helped change my beliefs about my car, my body and most importantly about me and my relationships with my mother and sisters. Formerly, I could barely talk to my mother, and I avoided my sisters completely. Now I’m close to my sisters and more understanding of my mother. What’s more, I can gain weight without a problem.

I continue to attend Recovery International meetings and study the Recovery Method. I still struggle daily with nervous symptoms and fearful thoughts, but Recovery International has helped me where other programs have failed.

Deborah Cardinale