My name is Andrea Durivage, and I'm a recovering addict who is continuing my Bachelor of Science in Psychology: Addictions studies at Purdue Global University. What makes me most passionate in life is helping others and giving back to my community through volunteering at local clean needle exchange programs, homeless shelters for women, domestic violence shelters, and community outreach programs. When I was in my addictive addiction, I managed to rack up 10 misdemeanor petit-larceny charges. The judge in my city was pretty progressive and I owe a total debt of gratitude to him because he was the first judge in our entire upstate New York area that trialed the Opiate Program, which was a harm reduction program aimed at getting low level offenders off opiates by mandating the receive a MAT drug (i.e. Suboxone, Subutex, or Methadone). I entered that program in January of 2020 and I was put on two years probation to run concurrent with the Opiate Program. I was very lucky because my probation officer was extremely tolerant with me and gave me the chance to get acclimated to the Opiate Program's harm reduction model because at the time I was still hooked on crack cocaine.It was his support, the gentle, yet firm hand of the judge, and my counselor at Conifer Park Outpatient Treatment Center, where I receive methadone maintenance, that all played a hand in my total abstinence from all drugs of abuse. And now, today, I have been completely sober for one year and six months. This has been an eye opening experience, and a cathartic moment in my life.