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Sharing His Past to Help Their Futures<\/h2>\nSharing His Past to Help Their Futures<\/h2>\nBarry Pietrantonio admits he\u2019s not proud of his past, but what he is proud of is that he\u2019s using those experiences to change his clients\u2019 futures.<\/p>\n
When Barry was a child, it wasn\u2019t uncommon for his family to have a little brandy when they were sick. That, he says, is likely where his 30-year battle began. Through his teenage years, he and his neighborhood friends would sneak beer.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I aged, my addiction progressed. I wanted to drop out of high school, but my mother refused to sign the papers,\u201d he said. \u201cAfter five years, I managed to graduate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barry began working in construction. He found many coworkers drank and used drugs, and he partied along with them. \u201cAt the time, I could stay up until four in the morning, and go to work at six or seven,\u201d he said. Later, Barry discovered these were manic episodes\u2014functioning on very little sleep is part of the criteria for mania.<\/p>\n
In his early 20s, Barry began to take his future more seriously. He earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in accounting, and he stopped using for three years. But as he settled into his first professional job, his \u201caddiction exploded.\u201d<\/p>\n
When he fell into a severe depression and started counseling, Barry was told it was the substance misuse causing the addiction, but he didn\u2019t believe his counselor. He continued to use, and when he still felt depressed, he stopped taking his prescribed medication.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018I must not be depressed,\u2019\u201d he recalls. His troubles didn\u2019t stop. He already had a herniated disc in his back from his carpentry days, and a motorcycle accident in 1998 led to a back injury. He needed surgery, and the recovery period gave him access to opiates. After six or seven months, when his final prescription ran out, he turned to cocaine and hard liquor.<\/p>\n
Barry\u2019s addiction\u2014and subsequent issues\u2014continued throughout the years: a DUI, marital trouble, and difficulties with family members. He eventually sought help in 2009. Rather than go to a detox center, he went to a psychiatric facility. And he was honest about his addiction for the first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithin two days, I was diagnosed as bipolar,\u201d he said. \u201cBy the third day, my whole life had changed.\u201d<\/p>\n
After about a week in the hospital, Barry\u2019s road to recovery continued with a month-long outpatient program called Quitting Time. A year-and-a-half of sobriety later, he had to face a judge for his DUI. The judge told him, he recalls, \u201c\u2018We\u2019re not in the position to put recovering people in jail.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI took the outcome of all my trials as a sign from God and said, \u2018I\u2019m sticking to this program,\u2019\u201d adding that he maintained his sobriety for one year. Then two.<\/p>\n
Barry\u2019s experiences and bipolar diagnosis got him interested in a career in the mental health field, but he didn\u2019t pursue it at the time. As his recovery continued, as he restored important relationships, and as he found more clarity in life, the idea of helping others with addiction and mental health issues returned. At the suggestion of a good friend, Barry pursued a Master\u2019s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling<\/a> at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³».<\/p>\n \u201cAs I grew into my Master\u2019s program, I started to realize that I would be very capable of helping the dually-diagnosed population,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Barry graduated with his Master\u2019s in May 2017, and he not only had the degree and counseling training but he also now had seven years of sobriety. His professional and personal experiences would prove beneficial in approaching his clients with empathy and firsthand insight.<\/p>\n Today, Barry is CEO of Crossroads Recovery Center, LLC in Salem, which he co-founded with his friend and fellow Rivier alumnus, Tom Donovan \u201913\u2014who just happened to be the good friend that introduced Barry to the Master\u2019s program.<\/p>\n Crossroads specializes in individual and group counseling programs for substance misuse and co-occuring disorders, as well as aftercare planning, relapse prevention, and intensive outpatient services.<\/p>\n Motivated by his childhood experiences\u2014and data about the early onset of substance misuse\u2014Barry helps local youth and their families learn more about mental health and substance use disorders. He speaks to a wide range of audiences about his journey to sobriety to raise awareness and educate them on resources for assistance.<\/p>\n \u201cEducation and rehabilitation are key to battling substance use disorder,\u201d he said. \u201cBy providing more opportunities for treatment and addressing contributory factors early in people\u2019s lives, we can make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s thankful for the difference others made in his.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve learned so much about myself and what I can accomplish,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not proud of the things I did, but I share my story to give others hope and motivation for their recovery.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n