I was a drug addict mom and spent every cent getting wasted, an unexpected gift saved me, I’d be dead without it
AN ex-drug addict has been singing the praises of wild mushrooms.
After abusing drugs and alcohol for 16 years, the former addict discovered a new perspective among nature and began to heal.
For 16 years, the 34-year-old Jessika Gauvin used alcohol and drugs as a way to escape life and ignore her past trauma.
After the birth of her second child, Jasper, in November of 2012, she suffered from post-natal depression that led to six years of serious substance abuse.
But in April of 2018, Jessika wandered into her local woods in Moncton, New Brunswick, and found that being around nature gave her a ''new perspective'' on life.
The mom-of-two is now five years sober and dedicates her time to finding natural ways to reduce stress and trauma through mushrooms.
As a full-time forager, she even uses blended-down black trumpet as a spice for all of her dishes – noting that it’s nutrient-dense, packed with fiber, protein, and potassium.
Falling in love with the results she saw in herself, she now teaches other adults and children how to pick mushrooms safely for the desired effects.
Jessika said: “Mushrooms saved my life. I used to spend every paycheck on getting wasted.
"Now I'm debt-free and have discovered what mother nature can offer. I use fungi to treat my trauma."
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Her proclivity towards alcohol began at a young age, when she would drink with friends for fun.
The dependence, however, grew as she started a family.
In March 2012, Noah, now 11, was born at Moncton Hospital, and a year later came Jasper.
Jessika began to feel ''incredibly tired and lonely'' as she tried to raise both children, and she quickly ran to drugs and alcohol to relieve stress.
The former brand ambassador began to use her cash on substances that would fill the void.
"After getting the essentials for the children, I would spend the rest on alcohol," she said.
“Every weekend I would borrow money from friends to buy drugs. I was stuck in a deep depressive limbo.”
To keep her loved ones from discovering her addiction, she took precautionary measures.
"I would brush my teeth twice to hide the smell of alcohol. I hid it incredibly well from my children. No one suspected anything."
Most of the drinking got done once her little ones had gone to sleep.
As the children grew up, however, Jessika began register how bad her dependency was, saying she felt sad and anxious at every hour of the day.
After finally becoming ''sick'' of her own behavior, she took herself to the Moncton forest for guidance, and dug her bare feet into soil to connect with mother nature.
On that day, Jessika decided to confront her issues head-on while using the ''gifts of the earth'' to relieve her emotional burden.
She educated herself on fungi and picked Reishi mushrooms, which contain a high concentration level of naturally sedative compounds that help induce calmness.
Jessika said: "Reishi mushrooms are incredibly beneficial to those with anxiety. My anxiety drastically reduced, and it was all free.
"I was saving so much money every month."
She soon fell ''completely in love'' with mushrooms, spending her days and nights learning how to safely pick and identify them.
Now she spends three hours in the woods every day and offers multiple classes on folklore medicine, herbal remedies, and mushroom identification.
It’s become a family affair, as she even takes her two boys out to the woods with her – and with just a glance, the little ones can now identify over 100 mushrooms.
Her passion has garnered her the nickname “the queen of mushrooms,” and she’s proud of it.
Jessika said: "If I had kept going with my hedonism, I would be dead.
"Mushrooms offered me a way to face my problems and overcome them. The natural world can heal all wounds.”
Besides psychological and emotional hardships, she claims nature can heal physical ones as well.
"Stinging nettles are amazing for allergies. I pick them, and I make a cream of nettle soup. If you're missing essential nutrients, nettle will cover it.”
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Although it took a while, she’s finally at a happy place.
"I wish I had listened to the earth sooner."
