Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Anderson.
Shannon, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Shannon Anderson. I am 38 years old. I have 3 kids – Greyson (7), Harrison (5), and Sutton (2). I have been married since 2017 to Eric.
I grew up in South Kansas City. I was 1 of 6 kids. I grew up Catholic going to private schools my entire life until I went to college. College is when my addiction to ADHD stimulants started. I was studying for finals my freshman year of college and a friend asked me if I wanted an Adderall to help me study. I said yes without hesitation. I had some siblings on ADHD medication and I didn’t think of taking the drug as being taboo. She said it would help me study and focus. I said OK! 20 minutes after that pill hit my system, I remember thinking this drug is the answer to all of my problems. The euphoria washed over me and made me feel like I could do anything and accomplish anything. I remember mentally thinking, I am going to have to get more of these at some point. This was when I was 18 years old. At this point, I had only ever drank and not tried any other drugs – not even marijuana. My addiction started there and I would say progressed really quickly. I would ask that friend and find other people who were prescribed adderall to sell me some pills during test times or finals. Eventually, I wouldn’t even go to class without have the drug. At this point, I was still not prescribed any ADHD stimulants. I found a friend who didn’t like to take his and he would sell me his months worth of prescriptions at a time. I started taking the drug to go out because it keeps you “sober” longer when you drink on it and eventually I needed it to even function! At some point, I sought out my own prescription. I believe this happened after I graduated college in 2010. I went to the doctor, told her I had trouble focusing and asked to get tested for ADHD. She referred me to a testing center where I literally sat in a room on a computer where I had to press a space bar at certain times when something would come across the screen. Obviously, he didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how to fib these tests and voila! I am diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed a controlled substance JUST LIKE THAT. I was ecstatic. I finally had my own script. It was the perfect way for me to continue justifying my use and tell myself I didn’t have a problem because I was prescribed it. My addiction continued spiraling out of control. I’d run through my script in 3 to 5 days, crash, go through withdrawals, then figure out how I was going to get more until I could pick up my own script again. I was stealing pills out of peoples medicine cabinets, lying about it, and just obsessing over this drug. Addiction isn’t logical. It is cunning, baffling, and powerful. It takes over your life. I was finally caught stealing a siblings pills for the final time when my family interventioned me on Christmas Day 2015. They knew nothing about addiction. They handed me a beer to tell me I had a problem with Adderall and I needed help. They honestly didn’t offer me any solutions. BUT I WAS READY to get help. I was miserable, hated who I was, and was desperate to find happiness and peace. At this point, I took the bull by the horns and started looking up outpatient treatment centers. In January of 2016, I entered an outpatient treatment program. I was only planning on getting off the adderall but I was NEVER planning on stopping drinking. Eventually when I learned more about addiction, I made the decision that if I REALLY wanted to find this peace and happiness that people promised me, then I was going to quit everything. I last drank on February 13th, 2016 when I went for an early valentines dinner with my now-husband. So February 14th, 2016 is my sobriety date, I have healed, I have grown, and I work a program of recovery to keep me sober every single day. I have a happy, beautiful life and always had a dream of helping others in recovery. I have worked in banking and finance to early childhood education and eventually drug and alcohol counseling. I earned my degree in Psychology back in 2010 and later went back to school in my sobriety for addiction counseling. I started having these dream of helping people online. I believe there is this gap in reaching people who are stuggling and addicted that can be filled online. The idea of Sober is Chic was brought to life a few years ago. I coached people locally for a short while – but I was busy being a mom and learning how this online business really works. Finally, about a year ago, I really started my hard launch on social media. By sharing my story of addistction, I was inundated by people struggling with this very same addiction – adhd stimulant medication. The addiction is rampant and there is soooo much shame around it. I want to help as many people as I can break the shame cycle, get help, and know they are not alone.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing about early recovery is smooth. You have to grieve a life you had and accept this new life that is in front of you. Before, I could numb all of my feelings with the drugs and alcohol. In early recovery, you are bombarded with ALL OF THE FEELINGS and no way to numb. It is overwhelming. It is soooooooo important to set yourself up for success so you can stay sober. Triggers and cravings constantly pop up so you have to know how to navigate those. I had family members who didn’t believe in me. Relationships that I lost. The guilt and shame hits you like a ton of bricks in the beginning and it takes WORK to overcome that and heal.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am a recovery coach and business owner. I create digital courses to help people overcome stimulant addiction. I also do 1:1 coaching via zoom for those struggling with any substance. What sets me apart from others is that I have lived it! I know what it feels like to be in the depths of addiction and feel like there is no way out. I am proof it is possible to come out on the other side and I give people that hope. Not only have I lived it, but I also have an educational background in psychology and addiction counseling.
I am most proud of the amount of people I have already helped via social media. It fills my soul to be able to meet someone where they are at when deep in their addiction and help them crawl their way out of it.
Currently, I have a Path to Freedom digital course composed of 4 modules where I walk you through exactly how to come out of stimulant addiction.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Don’t struggle in silence. Reach out to me confidentially and let me help. I get it. I have been there. I also coach family members of those struggling with substance abuse.
Pricing:
- $297/session for coaching
- $199 for Path to Freedom Course
- $49/montth for skool community where I host bi weekly group coaching calls
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @sober_is_chic
- Facebook: Sober is Chic
- Youtube: @SoberisChic
