Catja - Gadens Stemmer

Catja has spent many years seeing herself as a weak woman - today she knows how strong she is. She has survived 15 years of substance abuse, countless overdoses, biker environments and violent relationships. Now she lives without drugs and has realized that her addiction was largely rooted in untreated ADHD and trauma she never received help for.

At 18, she got a violent boyfriend who introduced her to cocaine as a way to cope with physical and psychological pain. It quickly became the center of her life. At 21, she had her first overdose - many more followed. The shame from the violent relationships cut deep, and each time a relationship ended, the abuse got worse. In the years that followed, she cycled in and out of closed psychiatric wards with psychosis and overdoses.

The turning point came at a treatment facility where she finally got the right ADHD medication. It became clear that she had largely self-medicated all those years. Today she lives without alcohol and drugs - and speaks openly about her journey.