I never envisioned recovery. Every fiber in my body was scared of what’s next and that’s what restricted me from recovering in the past. I couldn’t deal with all the pain I’ve caused from this monster called addiction, I just wanted to be numb. But I did it and if I can do it, anyone can do it.
There was a point where all I could think about was my next fix; when it was going to be, where I was going to get it, how I was going to get it. It lured me to do immoral things. I didn’t want to look to even look in the mirror.
My family eventually pushed me out on the streets so they wouldn’t enable me to use anymore. My boyfriend and I would jump couch to couch, doing whatever we needed to do to survive. We lived in a trailer; stealing electric, stealing water, selling drugs to get our next fix.
I tried multiple times to clean up. I called rehabs but they either needed money, or insurance. When you are a drug addict, all your money goes to the addiction. You don’t have insurance. I tried to go to the hospital to dry out and detox but every time I got out, I would just go back to what I was doing. The hardest part about getting clean wasn’t the physical withdrawal, it was actually staying clean. You don’t know how to deal with the trauma you have brought into the world so just go back to using. It engulfs you.
I finally got arrested; the neighbors called the cops on me and saved my life. I got busted for possession. They released me on probation and of course, I didn’t pass my first drug test. I was then arrested and sent to Grant County Jail for two months, praying to god and scared to death. I knew I needed to go through a recovery center. I prayed for a bed to open.
They released me to Brighton Center after two months, and around the same time, my boyfriend got released to a recovery center in Northern Kentucky as well. I knew this was the beginning of recovery. God sent me a sign that this was my chance to get clean and I finally took it.
Brighton Center introduced me to a fellowship of people that are facing the same struggles as me. We built a support system around each other and they wanted to stay sober just as bad as I did. Everything they asked me to do, I did whole heartedly because I never wanted anything more than to live in recovery.
I was in Brighton Recovery Center for a year and a month. Before Brighton Recovery Center, I didn’t have a relationship with my family. They didn’t want me around. Now they want me to spend time with me. This year we went on vacation together. My brother lets me hang around my nieces and nephews. My kids want to talk to me and support me. Recovery has also brought me and my boyfriend together. We now support each other and we work as a team. We are each other’s support in recovery everyday.
When I was at Brighton Recovery Center, we trudged the mile and half every day to our classes. I would see individuals driving to work, taking care of their families, paying bills and that’s what I wanted. I dreamed to live a normal life. I didn’t know sobriety most of my life. I didn’t know how it felt to live normally. As of today, I get to ride in my car to work, all my bills are paid, and if my family needs me, I am there. I get to go to a comfortable home and go to picnics and family vacations. I am living my dream.
Thank you, Brighton Center, for investing in me. If it wasn’t for you creating these opportunities, I might have died with my addiction.
« See All Stories