Stacey

I was raised to succeed in life. I was given every opportunity one could hope for! I grew up in private school and had a supportive present family. The disease of addiction doesn’t care how you were raised. It progressed from having fun to being a slave to my disease. My whole life became about getting and using and finding ways and means to get more. I lived to use and used to live. The drugs made every decision for me. If and when I showered, ate, who my friends were and if and when I slept. What started out as drinking and occasional line of coke here and there to one day being a full fledged junkie shooting anything I could get my hands on living in gross hotels or trap houses.

My addiction of meth and heroin took me to many bottoms but what brought me to my knees. In December of 2014, I was airlifted to the hospital and had to have open heart surgery. I had endocarditis, which is vegetation of the heart caused by being a junkie. It’s literally a direct result of shooting up. I was 29 years old.

I had to undergo a total of 3 massive and extensive surgeries. I was read my last rights, and my friends and family started to plan my funeral. Nobody thought I was going to make it! I spent almost 4 months in the hospital and once I got out I realized there was a reason I had been given the gift of another chance at life, and found my way to NA! My clean date is 4/28/15

The poor girl in this left photo is so lost and broken, and I'm so thankful to not be that girl today! I know I am lucky to be alive and believe that with my second chance at life, I have a purpose, and for that reason I choose to break my anonymity! I am a grateful recovering addict! ?? This photo shows that no matter how long you have been traveling in the wrong direction you can always turn around!

Recovery has changed me into an entirely different person. I have morals and values today, and wake up with the intent to try and be a better person than I was yesterday! My friends and family no longer have to stress and worry about me and I am a productive member of society. I have all the material things back but more importantly I have an internal peace and light that is priceless!

As humans I believe we go through things so we can one day help someone else get through that situation. Hopefully this can help someone else out there struggling I know that for me, I’m just going to keep coming back!