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OUR MAY 2015 NEWSLETTER

The Sweeney Alliance, publisher of the Grieving Behind the Badge newsletters, is proud to have been chosen this year at the Indy on Fire event held on April 24, 2015 during FDIC in Indianapolis to receive recognition as an advocate for first responders and a donation to  help firefighters coping with addiction, depression and job related stress.

Peggy Sweeney, Editor
830.377.7389
A Day in the Life of an Addict with PTSD Active Action
by Dana

I have been a first responder for almost ten years. I am a survivor of workplace sexual assault. I have been exposed to several traumatic scenes while on duty. I  was first diagnosed with PTSD in the fall of 2013. It stemmed mainly from two specific traumatic experiences that occurred on shift. 
Read more here 
 Learn more about the ride here �
Take Care of Self

by Wyatt James Brooks Sr

 

I am not sorry any longer

I stand with strength; I have done nothing wrong,

It is not my fault.

I have done everything in my power to do Good.

I am not responsible for the traumas I faced.

Read the full poem here 
Helping Children Cope with Critical Incidents

by Karen Solomon

 

You saw the news this week, Officer Jones was shot in the face, his wife is standing by his bedside and they are receiving support from the hospital staff and their friends. Did you hear about his kids? No, you did
Read more here �
Taking Charge: 3 Keys to Trauma Survival in the Workplace
by the PTS Families of the RCMP 

"Many officers hide their injuries by turning to whatever it takes to self-medicate, and in the end they are judged, not by the injury they are trying to survive, but by the attempts they take to heal themselves."  Sylvio "Syd" Gravel 

Download the video here 

This Retired Police Officer Shot His Daughters and Himself: Why
by Amelia Pang

NEW YORK-It was hard to pinpoint when Glen Hochman's mind began to unravel. Before he killed two of his teenage daughters, his three dogs, and himself during the early hours of Feb. 21, Hochman was a retired police officer who had received zero complaints during his 22-year career.
One Day of Addiction
by Jason Williard

 

Waking up as an addict is much like waking up as a "normal" person, but only for a brief

 second. I see my beautiful wife next to me. With a good morning kiss on her cheek, I immediately start thinking of getting high. I feel a rush of anxiety. Do I have a wake up hit? Where did I hide it? A number of thoughts run through my head. I start to sweat. I feel sick. As I run through my options of how to get money to get high, I start to panic. The torture begins. All the guilt that I carry every day is on my mind, in my body, causing me pain. I need money!

Read more here 

SILHOUETTED IN FLAME
by Anonymous Firefighter

As the alarm comes in we all know it's really bad.
The fire escapes are full of people who will soon lose everything they have ever had.
We run right in because we soon hear that two children are trapped in the second floor rear.
Continue the poem here 
 

Station House Retreat is a treatment facility in south Florida exclusively for first responders with addiction, depression and job related stress.


Financial Help for First Responders Coping with Addictions
Founded in 1998 by Peggy Sweeney, The Sweeney Alliance is a non-profit organization that  provides training programs and educational materials relating to grief, post-traumatic stress, addiction and recovery, and suicide prevention for the emergency response community and their families in North America. 

Peggy Sweeney and her organization work closely with co-founder Don Prince and the  
Station House Retreat, a responder specific recovery facility located in Boynton Beach, Florida. Your donation will help defray the cost of treatment, travel, co-pays and other related costs for those who can't otherwise afford these expenses. Peggy and Station House Retreat are passionate about what they do together to help their brother and sister first responders.
Make your donation here 
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