THROUGH PRAYER and MEDITATION –
Jan. 23, 2026 – Buhr said her childhood was shaped by loneliness. In her adolescence, she said she was pulled into methamphetamine addiction by a close family member and also suffered violence by people close to her. In adulthood, she spent time in prison on drug convictions for using and dealing methamphetamine and lost custody of her three children.
Amy Keck, clinical director of substance use programs at The Bridge, explained the generational cycle of addiction and domestic violence starts with parents or guardians. Oftentimes parents who are addicts still want to build a relationship with their child and want the closeness so they have the child do the drug with them, Keck explained. The Bridge is a treatment center that specializes in alcoholism and drug addiction.
Keck said this belief that drugs will bring a parent closer to a child is a fallacy.
“You’re then in turn damaging your kid’s life by turning them onto drugs,” Keck said.
Scott Stoltenberg, associate professor of psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said children model the behavior of their parents. When a child sees their parents using substances, they learn that it’s normal to use substances.
Despite suffering from what Buhr calls this generational trauma, she is hopeful she has broken that cycle.
Now, Buhr says her life has been restored through faith, community, treatment and support that she had once longed for. Buhr works as the store manager at People’s City Mission’s Help Center, which she said has given her a second family that has supported her since the first day she started in 2024. The mission has not only helped Buhr but supports over 30,000 people in Lincoln each year by providing shelter, meals and mental health and substance abuse services.
