ACHIEVING your dreams IS possible, a Hawarden woman has said.

Abby Browne has known all her life she was different and turned to art for comfort, however it wasn’t until she was 40 last year that she was diagnosed with autism.

As a result of her struggles, and not being able to socially connect with friends, Abby fell into addiction from her very first drink of alcohol.

She told the Leader that she became dependant on it to feel like she could ‘fit in’ with those around her.

The Leader:

After a life-long battle of not knowing why she felt different to everyone else, and battling addiction with alcohol, Abby checked into rehab in February this year and has been sober ever since.

She said: “I’ve always been interested in art, from a very young age. When it was break time at school I’d paint and draw instead of going out to play and then I went to art college and studied fine art at uni.

“I was diagnosed with autism last year. I’ve always felt different, every since I was a child and my mum noticed I was different too, I didn’t feel the need to join in with my peers.

The Leader:

“I felt like I was a square peg trying to fit in to a round hole. I was socially awkward, had anxiety and depression, sensory issues and I couldn’t wear certain clothes because of the way they felt.

“I had struggles communicating and understanding sarcasm and I was really fearful of saying the wrong thing so stayed quite. After researching something, autism came up quote a lot so I decided to go for a neurological development assessment and I was diagnosed that day.

“It was a relief, I could finally stop blaming myself for my downfalls. Unfortunately, with those downfalls I became reliant on alcohol from a young age. I thought I needed alcohol to connect with people, I was using it to self-medicate.”

She told the Leader that she wants to show those that are struggling that it is okay to be different and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Abby now hopes to start her own business from her love of art.

She added: “I ended up in rehab this year and it was a fantastic experience, it all helped. I was powerless over alcohol but the staff were amazing.

“Art has always been part of my life, I used it to escape and to communicate my feelings. It’s been escapism for me but my art was affected.

“I’ve been looking through my artwork from my addiction to when I’m sober and I can see the change. It was dark and emotional paintings back then but now I’m starting to use colour and being more adventurous.

The Leader:

“I was very tired before and I had the desire to paint but couldn’t which was really difficult.

“But now, I have decided to follow my dreams and my heart. I want to start my own business. But I also want to get the message out there to those in recovery or to anyone struggling that you can follow your dreams.

“A positive thing can come out of a dark time.”

Abby's artwork and blog about her journey can be viewed online at www.abbybrowne.art or via social media under Abby Browne Art.