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Andrea Durivage

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General information

Hobbies & Interests

  • Advocacy And Activism
  • Animals
  • Biology
  • Blogging
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Cognitive Science
  • Anatomy
  • Communications
  • Community Service And Volunteering
  • Child Development
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Counseling And Therapy
  • Criminology
  • English
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Gender Studies
  • Spanish
  • Health Sciences
  • Global Health
  • Human Rights
  • Research
  • Journaling
  • Journalism
  • Law
  • Neuroscience
  • Philanthropy
  • Philosophy
  • Public Health
  • Public Policy
  • Psychiatry
  • Psychology
  • National Honor Society (NHS)
  • Social Justice
  • Social Media
  • Social Sciences
  • Social Work
  • Linguistics
  • Foreign Languages
  • Karaoke
  • Meditation and Mindfulness
  • Mental Health
  • Volunteering
  • Pet Care
  • True Crime
  • Medicine
  • Comedy
  • Concerts
  • Shopping And Thrifting
  • Gaming

Reading

  • Academic
  • Business
  • Cultural
  • Criticism
  • Education
  • Health
  • Gothic
  • How-To
  • Horror
  • Humanities
  • Law
  • Leadership
  • Psychology
  • Pulp
  • Reference
  • Science‎
  • Self-Help
  • Social Issues
  • Science Fiction
  • Social Science
  • Sociology
  • True Story
  • Travel
  • Adult Fiction

I read books daily.

Bio

My name is Andrea Durivage, and I'm a recovering addict who is continuing my Bachelor of Science in Psychology: Addictions studies at Purdue Global University. What makes me most passionate in life is helping others and giving back to my community through volunteering at local clean needle exchange programs, homeless shelters for women, domestic violence shelters, and community outreach programs. When I was in my addictive addiction, I managed to rack up 10 misdemeanor petit-larceny charges. The judge in my city was pretty progressive and I owe a total debt of gratitude to him because he was the first judge in our entire upstate New York area that trialed the Opiate Program, which was a harm reduction program aimed at getting low level offenders off opiates by mandating the receive a MAT drug (i.e. Suboxone, Subutex, or Methadone). I entered that program in January of 2020 and I was put on two years probation to run concurrent with the Opiate Program. I was very lucky because my probation officer was extremely tolerant with me and gave me the chance to get acclimated to the Opiate Program's harm reduction model because at the time I was still hooked on crack cocaine.It was his support, the gentle, yet firm hand of the judge, and my counselor at Conifer Park Outpatient Treatment Center, where I receive methadone maintenance, that all played a hand in my total abstinence from all drugs of abuse. And now, today, I have been completely sober for one year and six months. This has been an eye opening experience, and a cathartic moment in my life.

Education

Purdue University Global

Bachelor's degree program

2022 – 2025

Majors:
  • Psychology, Other

Miscellaneous

Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Graduate schools of interest:
SUNY at Albany, Albany Law School, Albany State University, Berkeley College-New York, New York University, Columbia University in the City of New York, Cornell University, Syracuse University
Majors of interest:
Psychology, General, Research and Experimental Psychology, Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology
Medical school interest:
No

Career

  • Political Survey Interviewer

    Research · Shiftsmart/Dynata

    Jan 2019 – Present

Miscellaneous

Dream career field:
Counseling
Dream career goals:
Director of an Inpatient or Outpatient Rehab
Has nursing license:
No

Future Interests

  • Advocacy
  • Volunteering
  • Philanthropy
  • Entrepreneurship
Lost Dreams Awaken Scholarship
Recovery, to me, means more than total abstinence from drugs and alcohol. Recovery is a lifestyle that is never perfected or achieved by simply putting in "clean time." According to SAMSHA, "recovery is a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential." That's a pretty vague definition, in my opinion. To me, recovery is an all-encompassing way to live, from attending AA/NA meetings and doing your 12-steps, to working with a sponsor, going to outpatient and inpatient treatment, maneuvering through the court systems and probation departments, volunteering your time to give back to your community, working on yourself every day, strengthening once broken relationships, attaining gainful employment, re-affirming your position with the God as you know him/her, and so much more. Recovery is different for everyone because no one's journey in life is the same. However, the result is the same for everyone, a manageable life, a culmination of your hard work in getting clean. The things I was able to realize from my recovery are that I am truly powerless over my addiction and that it had total control over my life. The things I have gained from my recovery are responsibility, humility, goals, maturity, empowerment, and most of all; respect.
Andrea Durivage Student Profile | Bold.org