 |
|
What Made Me Try It |
I always said that I would never do drugs. My dad was very open and honest about his drug use and the effects that it had on your body and your life. I stayed away from drugs until I was 17. I got stoned on Christmas Day in 1995. Not even a year later, I was introduced to meth. It was the most amazing thing to me, and I could focus on things. In the midst of my using, at the age of 21, I was diagnosed with a serious mental illness. The meth only made it worse, but I couldn't stop. It was an all consuming compulsion. |
|
| |
| Moments of Truth |
| I used meth and marijuana for about ninw years. I spent the majority of that time in and out of mental hospitals. I also went through two failed marriages. I got into abusive relationships, and I truly hated myself. In April of 2006 I was living outside of Phoenix, Arizona, with my best friend, her boyfriend and their three kids. I was using with her boyfriend behind her back. And it all came down to the fact that I was using in that house around those kids who I love like my own, and I just couldn't take it anymore. I reached out for help and went into a very intense outpatient treatment program. I also moved into a halfway house. I cut off all contact with my best friend and her boyfriend. |
| |
| My Keys to Recovery |
| I have tried recovery many times. It never seemed to stick. While living in the halfway house I went to outside meetings. I hated it very much, but one Friday night I was sitting in this meeting, and I started listening, actually listening to what this guy was saying. I don't remember what he said, in fact I forgot it soon afterward, but whatever he said clicked with me. I woke up, and I got really serious about living my life better. I graduated from the program at the halfway house and then I came home to Oregon to be with my mom. When it got tough, I would think about just getting through the next minute. Sometimes the smallest step is the easiest way to get through it. |
| |
|
|
|