Menninger Brings Back Joy to Barrel Racer's Life

Haley Gilliland says The Menninger Clinic brought joy back to her life after she first battled her addictions at seven other treatment facilities.

 

“I am lucky that this ugly piece of my life didn’t take away my child’s spirit. Menninger took such good care of me that I was able to work through everything without being robbed of my child’s view of life,” Gilliland said.

 

She now works in the treatment field, an ambition inspired by her time in treatment at Menninger. She lives on her family’s ranch, south of San Antonio, and practices her lifelong love of horses, rodeos and barrel racing.

 

 

The director of admissions at Fullbrook Center, a women-only residential facility that specializes in substance abuse and trauma treatment in Fredericksburg, Texas, Gilliland said she plans to work there “forever.” She also has her CADAC and CADAC II certificates as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor.

 

Gilliland’s journey to addiction started early when she began using drugs in high school. She started with marijuana and then began using meth (methamphetamine), Xanax and alcohol. She then was introduced to heroin, a cheaper option than oxycodone that was sweeping her high school.

 

“I moved from oxycodone to heroin very quickly. I started using heavy drugs by the time I was 17,” she said. Drug use took her to many dangerous places. “When you’re looking for heroin, you go to the darkest places. It was not pretty.”

Gilliland is close to her parents and said they are very supportive and have been all along. But the family was plagued by tragedy, losing two young daughters to cancer. Hannah died of brain cancer in 2003 at age 24. Then, during the pandemic in 2020, Haley’s sister Kara was diagnosed with colon cancer. She died in 2022.

 

“As a family, we always came together. But they were going through my sister’s sickness and death, and they already had lost one daughter,” she said. Her mother and father tried to help her and send her to the right places for treatment, she added. Her mother went to Al-Anon meetings and created strong boundaries. Her father helped her with education options.

 

Her search for drugs eventually led her to a vulnerable place, where she was severely traumatized during a violent attack in her freshman year of college.

 

“Women’s treatment focusing on trauma is so important to me because I know I coped with my pain by using substances. I didn’t have the coping skills to be able to work through everything I’d been through,” she said. “I survived the only way I knew how.”

 

“Today, I’m successful in recovery and in my job and with my horses because I’m so strong willed. There’s a fine line to taking things too far. I want to get on colts that will buck and horses that go fast. I am certainly someone who rides the envelope. Having the trauma gave me an excuse to continue to act out in that way. I could use it as an excuse,” she said.

 

Gilliland found that being open about her struggles while in recovery helped her relate to people, tearing down walls so that they lost their power. “You talk about something, and it’s not as big of a deal. I felt relatable to people who were struggling with all these same things.”

 

Menninger was a turning point, offering her the guidance she needed to conquer her challenges. Now, she stays focused by prioritizing healthy eating, horseback riding, meditation and managing her responsibilities. She also engages in daily Bible study with her "Christian sisters," highlighting the supportive community she has cultivated and the hopeful future that lies ahead.