Terrie’s Journey

My life now is beautiful beyond measure. Brighton Center showed me the path there. If it wasn't for Brighton Center, there is no doubt in my mind I would not be alive today.

Addiction ruined my life. I was born into a long line of substance abuse. My mother left when I was two due to addiction, and my father was never around because he was an alcoholic. My grandmother raised me, and we had limited resources. 

For six years, I was addicted to prescription opiates and meth. I lost custody of my daughter, I was unable to work, I was 97 pounds, I had multiple shoplifting charges, and I couldn’t get out of bed without using some kind of drug to make me feel better.

The Department of Corrections sent me to Brighton Recovery Center for Women (BRC) after a failed drug test on probation, and I am so glad they did. BRC shaped me into the sober person I am today. 

BRC gave me everything. They taught me how to be accountable for myself and others, how to be responsible, and how to forgive myself for the harm I inflicted on everyone and everything that I loved. They taught me the skills and knowledge for beyond recovery.

Brighton Center gave me my first job when all other places rejected me for being a felon, and allowed me to climb the career ladder.

Now, I am a full-time employee, wife, mother, and part-time student. I have an amazing job where they just keep promoting me. I won the 2023 NKY Outstanding Woman of the Year through the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. I have managed to average A’s and make Dean’s List every semester. I want to continue my education and get a Master’s in addiction counseling so I can be of maximum service to those struggling with substance abuse like I was.

I had nothing when I arrived at Brighton Center. All of my relationships had been damaged. Brighton Center helped me work my way up from the very bottom. They were and continue to always be there for me. When I lost my grandmother, the women at BCR held me in their arms while my whole world fell apart. They showed me love regardless of who I was. They showed me compassion, unlike anything I have ever experienced.

The past ten and half years of sobriety have been nothing but a dream. Sobriety is not easy, but it is so worth it. Brighton Center helped me create this amazing life. They are the voice for the people that cannot use theirs. BRC did not judge me based on who I was. They did not let my past define my future. 

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