Overcoming addiction isn’t easy and Laura knew she was on a path that didn’t end well. So she decided to join the Navy as a way to help her overcome her addition. She had graduated from NYU in film and was getting by but struggling with drug addition, alcoholism and bulimia. She was looking for structure and because her dad had serve in the military it gave her idea she should join too. Her Navy service consisted of one tour and today works in film and is passionate about sharing stories, including the stories of veterans.

Overcoming Addiction with the Military

She first went to the Air Force and was sent to the Navy. The Navy recruiter helped get her set up and shared she could get her student loans paid for, but two days before she was supposed to leave for Basic Training she found out that the paperwork wasn’t filed so her loans wouldn’t be paid, but did she still want to join. She didn’t even ask if there was another option and instead said yes.

Advocating for yourself

One of the themes of the podcast was how important it is to advocate for yourself. Sometimes that is hard to do, especially as a young woman who is serving in the military. Because Laura was older when she faced harassment she spoke up to the person and told them to only talk to her about work things. That experience led her to feel she had to prove her worth and be the best at her job.

And she really did work hard. But the military was just a short part of her life and she was ready for the next phase once her commitment was up. Today she works in film and is working to share the stories of veterans.