Vitale's Debut Memoir

Addicted to Perfect

Addicted to Perfect

A Journey Out of the Grips of Adderall

A Journey Out of the Grips of Adderall

Perfection is the Mask We Use to Avoid Pain

We think that if we can achieve perfection, we will achieve happiness.

We believe that if we can avoid pain, we can also avoid abandonment and loneliness and unworthiness.

Perfection is the thief of joy. It’s a lie that keeps us in a stranglehold of chaos and people-pleasing and addiction and lack. Perfection says we are never good enough. It holds us back from being our truest, most authentic selves.

Author Vitale Buford spent nearly three decades of her life in the web of perfection. The roots of her perfection were born in her childhood – she had a dysfunctional home-life fraught with alcoholism, workaholism and shame. This combination created an environment of neglect, where the only way Vitale got attention was to be perfect. She was praised for being an “easy child,” “pretty,” and “self-motivated,” so that’s what she tried to be. Her need for perfection and outside success was coupled with her body image obsession. It was also a distraction from the pain of abandonment and loneliness she experienced in her childhood. It was the perfect storm – she tied her self-worth to her external success and her appearance, and hence, her addiction to perfection was born.

The need for perfection followed her to college, and when she started gaining weight, she became obsessed with dieting to make her body smaller and more acceptable. She worked hard in college and got good grades, but her body shame was all consuming. Her junior year of college, she was introduced to Adderall as a “study drug.” She used it for a few months – and ended up losing 20 pounds; she also got her best grades ever with her most rigorous course load. She was sure she had discovered the “perfect drug.” She was able to obtain her own prescription the following year. It hooked her immediately. She was addicted not only to Adderall but also to the perfection and the weight loss and her newfound ability to accomplish projects and tasks with ease. This was the beginning of a 10-year love affair with Adderall.

In Addicted to Perfect, Vitale shares the highs and lows of having been a slave to Adderall, the destructive relationships that ensued, and the way that she finally broke free. She details the many twists and turns involved in the years leading up to her getting sober and the eating disorder that followed her into sobriety. It took parenthood and radical honesty for her to begin the road to true healing.

Perfectionism is no longer something that enslaves her, and Vitale’s story is one of hope that no matter where you are in your life, you can release the grip of perfection. You can heal your pain and your abandonment and your loneliness and your fear and your guilt and your shame. You can experience true freedom, and most importantly, replace perfection with self-love.

 

Meet the Author,

Vitale Buford Hardin

Vitale Buford is a former Adderall addict who successfully hid her addiction for more than a decade. During this time, she was climbing the corporate ladder and looked “perfect” on the outside. She checked all the external success boxes, yet on the inside she was dying. It took sobriety to awaken her to her true self and begin healing. Vitale is now a certified professional coach, author, speaker and former corporate executive who held leadership roles in marketing, business development, human resources and executive coaching. Vitale graduated from the University of Georgia and received her professional coaching certification through the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC). She has more than 12 years of corporate experience.

Having successfully overcome a 10-year addiction to Adderall, excessive drinking and an eating disorder, Vitale is uniquely qualified in her current role as coach and agent of transformation. She works with individuals, groups and organizations. She brings her personal experience, professional education and training, and her specialized healing techniques together to create a unique coaching system – one that gets at the root of the issue to bring about lasting and real change.

Vitale lives in Kentucky with her husband, son, and dog.

Reviews

Having Vitale as a life coach has changed my life in so many ways!

I was skeptical at first, not ever having a life coach, or really knowing much about it. It only took one session for me to see how much I would benefit by having her as a coach. First and foremost, she helped me to see my true worth. I started to become the happy, confident woman I once was. She also helped me to believe that all my goals were obtainable. I am currently looking at other business opportunities, whereas before coaching, I would have never had the guts to do so. It is hard for me to open up to other people, but Vitale made it much easier. I felt that she truly heard and understood me. Having Vitale as a life coach has not only benefited my life, but those that are close to me as well. As I started to get clear on my true values, my relationships with friends and family became stronger. I strongly recommend hiring Vitale as a life coach to transform your life, just as she did mine!
Having Vitale as a life coach has changed my life in so many ways!
Lauren S.

Working with Vitale has been game-changer for me.

She is an incredible person and an even more amazing life coach. Her positivity, ambition, and drive are contagious. I worked her for only a few short months, but I’ve already experienced successful personal and professional growth. She is extremely positive, down to earth, and encouraging, but also held me accountable to push me beyond my comfort zone. I’m more conscious, confident, and focused. Vitale has truly enriched my life. I look forward to our work together in the future.

Working with Vitale has been game-changer for me.
Mary P.

Sometimes I think the hardest thing I face is letting go and accepting change.

Vitale instilled in me in the brief time I had with her that I need clarity, confidence, and then courage. Her words of wisdom, authenticity, and true compassion for others lit a spark in me. I am excited to try the techniques she has given me and look forward to working with her more in the future! She is phenomenal at providing her clients top of the line service for real, and powerful change!

Sometimes I think the hardest thing I face is letting go and accepting change.
Taylor K.

Vitale has opened my eyes to a new way of feeling and thinking.

Your life doesn’t have to be mediocre. It can be anything you want it to be, but I had no idea this was even possible before meeting with Vitale. She listens in a non-judgmental and caring way and challenges you to take a closer and honest look at yourself. Before beginning to work with Vitale I suffered from anxiety, lack of self-confidence, insecurities, and constant worry about any and everything and the sad part was I was content to living this way. I had no idea that working with Vitale could change this and improve every aspect of my life by just changing my thoughts. Which sounded totally crazy to me before my eyes were opened by her teachings and practices. I always look forward to my sessions with Vitale. I walk away feeling renewed and ready to tackle any challenges that may come my way. She gives you the tools you need to transform your life.

Vitale has opened my eyes to a new way of feeling and thinking.
Kathryn C.

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