After Years of Struggling With Substance Abuse, This Former Dancer Found Cycling and Sobriety

I began dancing at the age of 9. As a child, I was involved in musical theater, and it was recommended I take dance classes. I originally wanted to sing and act, but once in the dance studio, I accelerated and progressed rapidly with ballet. I began competing in Youth American Grand Prix and World Grand Prix ballet competitions, which led to scholarships with prestigious ballet companies. I danced internationally in the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, and Austria. After many years dancing abroad I returned to North America and continued my dancing career. But from my early teenage years, I had always had a struggle with substance abuse. A steady focus on ballet and my career always kept my habitual use to what I gauged as recreational usage throughout my teens and early adulthood. It wasn’t until I was in my 30s and going through a difficult breakup that I began to lose control of my drug habit. It quickly escalated rapidly, and soon I had a daily habit of using. I often felt it was out of control, but I had micromanaged it so successfully for so many years that I was able to hide it quite well from friends and family. By the time I turned 40, my drug habit was a permanent fixture in my life. And although I desperately wanted to be rid of using, I couldn’t come up with a successful plan to eliminate it completely. I was immersed in the lifestyle and couldn’t ever remove myself from it, even though I kept trying month after month. I often felt like I was sitting with one foot in and one foot out, more often with both feet in. The people I surrounded myself with often left me in compromising positions and jeopardized what stability I had left in my livelihood. [View in Browser]( [Bicycling]( [SHOP]( [EXCLUSIVE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( [After Years of Struggling With Substance Abuse, This Former Dancer Found Cycling and Sobriety]( [After Years of Struggling With Substance Abuse, This Former Dancer Found Cycling and Sobriety]( I began dancing at the age of 9. As a child, I was involved in musical theater, and it was recommended I take dance classes. I originally wanted to sing and act, but once in the dance studio, I accelerated and progressed rapidly with ballet. I began competing in Youth American Grand Prix and World Grand Prix ballet competitions, which led to scholarships with prestigious ballet companies. I danced internationally in the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, and Austria. After many years dancing abroad I returned to North America and continued my dancing career. But from my early teenage years, I had always had a struggle with substance abuse. A steady focus on ballet and my career always kept my habitual use to what I gauged as recreational usage throughout my teens and early adulthood. It wasn’t until I was in my 30s and going through a difficult breakup that I began to lose control of my drug habit. It quickly escalated rapidly, and soon I had a daily habit of using. I often felt it was out of control, but I had micromanaged it so successfully for so many years that I was able to hide it quite well from friends and family. By the time I turned 40, my drug habit was a permanent fixture in my life. And although I desperately wanted to be rid of using, I couldn’t come up with a successful plan to eliminate it completely. I was immersed in the lifestyle and couldn’t ever remove myself from it, even though I kept trying month after month. I often felt like I was sitting with one foot in and one foot out, more often with both feet in. The people I surrounded myself with often left me in compromising positions and jeopardized what stability I had left in my livelihood. [Read More]( [9 Best Multitools for Bike Repairs and DIY Projects]( [9 Best Multitools for Bike Repairs and DIY Projects]( Great multitools are the portable repair shops that’ll keep your ride going strong mile after mile. [Read More]( [Fully Tested: Aventon's Excellent Soltera Singlespeed E-Bike]( [Fully Tested: Aventon's Excellent Soltera Singlespeed E-Bike]( A simple, zippy e-bike for commuting, and cruising around town. [Read More]( [Tested: Hunt’s 1,213g 32 Aerodynamicist Wheels are Purpose-Built for Climbing]( [Tested: Hunt’s 1,213g 32 Aerodynamicist Wheels are Purpose-Built for Climbing]( The Hunt 32 Aerodynamicist Carbon Spoke Disc wheels are a mere 1,213 grams and priced far lower than its competitors. 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