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Picture 1:
Individual Bedroom in Belle Reve
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“Annabelle’s”
Story
“Annabelle,” as
she wishes to be called as a pseudonym, came to Belle Reve after escaping an
abusive ten-year relationship with her boyfriend, Darren. Annabelle came
from a dysfunctional family and turned to drug use as a mode of escape at
the young age of thirteen. She continued using until the age of thirty-two,
at which point, she not only “got clean,” but got a job as a
counselor-in-training at a treatment center, running groups and doing
“detox” work. She was in school trying to improve her job status by getting
a degree in her field, when she went into relapse with prescription
medications, causing her to lose her job. Moving back home with her parents
did nothing but throw her into worse habits and into a deep relapse. It was
during this time that she met Darren, an abusive caretaker and enabler.
When she first came to Belle Reve on the advice of her therapist, Annabelle
stayed only two weeks before returning to Darren, feeling that she could
not make it without familiar surroundings and her beloved dog, “Cat.”
Realizing that her choices were limited and her current path was
destructive, Annabelle moved back to Belle Reve on a more permanent basis.
She was able to talk her sister into taking Cat, which helped to make her
feel more comfortable. Annabelle learned that she was HIV-positive seven or
eight years ago. She does not know how she got HIV, but believes it was
through heterosexual contact. Although Annabelle openly admits that she is
a drug addict, she claims that she has abused pills and does not engage in
intravenous drug use, and therefore, did not get HIV through drug use. When
asked what she likes about being at Belle Reve, Annabelle states, “I
like the people—the staff. I like having my own bedroom and knowing no one
will come in. I didn’t have that with Darren. I like my sense of
independence.” Annabelle says that at night she thinks about going
back to Darren, but she knows that it would not be in her best interest. “He
keeps me from taking care of me, emotionally. I’ve always picked abusive
people.” Annabel has been living at Belle Reve for more than one year
now. She is abstinent from drugs and alcohol and her health is stable.
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