Breakout: Surviving Abuse and Alcoholism. This is My Story.

by Sukree Boodram

Breakout by Sukree Boodram is a stunning memoir about an Indian woman who survives abuse and alcoholism and winds up triumphant. There have been many books about breaking free from an abuser or an alcoholic, but now, in Breakout, Sukree Boodram tells the story of how she, a woman from the West Indies, had to shatter the traditions she grew up to appreciate in order to free herself emotionally and physically. A naïve young wife, she was married for twenty-one years to an alcoholic husband who was verbally and emotionally abusive. Enveloped by her culture and her tradition not to reveal any personal problems or suffering to outsiders, choosing not to ask for help or to stand up to her husband, Boodram found herself in a bind without any real support. As her children grew into their teens, she finally made a crucial decision. Relying on her own optimistic nature, strength, and bravery, she reveals how she was able to break free from the painful structure of her marriage, to leave it behind and attempt to build a new life. Deeply honest, beautifully written, and brave, Breakout by Sukree Boodram shows readers how there is always hope, no matter how dire the circumstances. As Boodram charts her emotional growth, she shows step-by-step how she was able to protect her children and herself and exit her marriage safely. A revelatory story of a person’s courage, Breakout is also a gorgeous story of heartbreak, disappointment, and survival, showing that our own inner strength can always be counted on, and that one can always triumph over the odds.circumstances. Some Excerpts/Quotes "Facing the Alcoholism" "Our problems are ours to fix, not someone else's responsibility." "Throughout the process, I have learned a lot about alcoholism. I learned that alcoholism is a mental illness and a disease. It can be caused by a family history of drinking, drinking being viewed as an acceptable social behavior in a culture or community, or keeping company and drinking with others who are already drinking heavily. Alcoholism is a progressive disease, becoming worse over time, and can eventually be fatal. Overuse of alcohol can cause both physical and psychological problems for the drinker. Physical signs can include withdrawal symptoms like ‘the shakes’ that can be observed visually when an alcoholic suddenly stops drinking. Other physical health problems can include liver disease, gastritis, anemia, and nervous disorders. There could also be psychological problems such as impairment in thinking, and changes in mood and behavior. These changes can sometimes lead to issues such as strained interpersonal relationships, marriage problems, child abuse, and domestic abuse. In many cases a person can begin to have issues with work or school, sometimes leading to costly legal and financial problems. I learned that denial is a key part of the disease and becomes a major obstacle to recovery. Denial can cause a person to believe they have control over drinking and how much they can drink, this impairment in thinking can cause a person to deny having a drinking problem. The denial may not be intentional; to those who are outside of the disease, it could appear that the alcoholic simply does not want to make a change." ______________________________________________________________________ "As I continue to learn about the disease, I am also trying really hard to keep an open mind and not to blame the person or the disease. This can be very difficult at times, but I know my knowledge is in its infancy stages and it would be premature to blame either. However, I have resolved never to give power over my life to someone else." "You may never know what results come of your actions, but if you do nothing, there will be no results."-Ghandi

236 pages, Paperback

First published February 17, 2011

About the author

Sukree Boodram was born into a Hindu family in Guyana. Boodram came to the US in 1983 and married in New York in 1987 then relocated to Florida, along with her husband in 1989. While in Florida, she attended University of Central Florida and graduated with a Bachelors Degree major in accounting. She continued on towards a post graduate degree and obtained her MBA. She is a licensed CPA. In 2015 Ms Boodram completed a 2nd Bachelor's Degree in Psychology at UCF. Her primary career has been in Corporate Accounting and Management for over 25 years, where she focuses on developing and leading teams and projects to success. Boodram is divorced from her former husband, an alcoholic abuser and is a single mother to her two children. She made the bold decision several years ago to advocate against domestic violence in our communities globally using her personal story. As a result of her experience, she published her story in her book; Breakout: Surviving Abuse and Alcoholism. This is My Story, as well as a documentary; Voice of a Survivor which has been used primarily to educate and bring awareness on the domestic violence platform. She founded CADVA (Caribbean American Domestic Violence Awareness) and been doing work in various parts of the US and Caribbean to help combat this epidemic. Boodram served on the CADVA board as President from 2011-2013. She was instrumental in bringing life and recognition to this organization and its mission. Boodram embraces her Hindu culture and tradition while standing up and advocating against domestic abuse in order to bring an end to this epidemic, by breaking her silence and redefining social expectations on the platform of abuse. She plans to continue to support CADVA in an administrative role while working on her next novel. In addition, Boodram is currently seeking a degree in Psychology and plans to continue her advocacy against domestic violence along with her current career in Accounting and Management.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Someone I follow on Twitter tweeted about this book, so I decided to read it. I liked Ms.Boodram's writing style, it kept me reading when I found the story to be a little redundant. She tends to go on and on about her ex-husband's verbal abuse and problems with alcohol and when you think she is finished writing about it, up pops another chapter about the same thing. I also felt that she was physically abused more than once by her ex-husband, but shame kept her from writing more about it in the book.

I do admire her courage to get out of a marriage that she was pressured into by her family. However, by staying in such a troubling marriage for so long I feel she has silently taught her children how to stay in a bad marriage. I do hope that the children get some counseling, so that they too, won't end up in the same type of dysfunctional marriage.