By Sean D'Elia
"I started drawing before kindergarten. At 13, I did an oil painting and won first place in a state art contest. I have had a nervous condition all my life and schizophrenia at 15. It’s been a battle, but going to Thresholds and being there with my friends helps me. I love painting and going to my groups at Thresholds. My art teacher, Bonnie, helps me if I get stuck. She has a vast knowledge of art. I’m painting more now, and when I paint, I’m not nervous. Thank you, Bonnie, and everyone at Thresholds. “I started taking psych meds at 15. I didn’t like those meds and found that alcohol would calm my nerves better, so I drank instead. I had paranoid schizophrenia. I drank, and it helped until I was 28. I had a very severe breakdown. I was always hallucinating and things. I was drowning myself with alcohol every day. They came up with a new medicine: Clozaril. I got a lot better and was able to paint again. I had quit drinking for a year, and now it has been 29 years. “One of the great things about painting is that when I paint, I feel safe. I’m somewhere else and not paranoid. I love painting way more than I like drinking! For some reason, I don’t have visual and sensory hallucinations while I’m busy creating things, and that really helps me feel better.”
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