My name is Edith, and I am a recovering heroin addict with NINE years of sobriety. I was 25 when a felony drug charge earned me a five-year probation term and drug court. Unfortunately, I found myself in and out of jail for the next two years because I was losing a battle with my addiction. Finally, the last time I went in front of the judge in Mineral County, NV, I was about to be sent to a rehab facility with a high success rate; I had a moment of clarity that changed my course for the rest of my life. I interrupted my lawyer and requested a moment to speak. I stood before the judge that day and allowed myself to be candid about my life and the reality of my addiction. For the first time, I admitted to him and myself that I was beyond helpless and that if he let me out again, I would run and ultimately succumb to the deadly addiction. Instead, I requested to be remanded to prison for my absconding charges because I knew I would finally be in a place I could not run from and would be safe from myself. In that prison, I entered a treatment program known as a therapeutic community and spent the better part of a year learning to love myself again and feel worthy of the effort to rebuild myself into a productive member of society. I completed that program and was released in November of 2014. During the next two years, I completed an outpatient treatment program as well, and I put the tools I learned to work and rebuilt my relationships with my family and friends, that never gave up on me. I was happy to go on about my life just being me until I received the worst news one can get after working so hard to become a better person; I had stage three cervical cancer. I went to talk to the woman who had been my counselor in outpatient to help me sort through the emotions threatening to tear my hard work apart. She calmed me down and made an outlandish suggestion. She offered me a job as a peer support specialist after my treatment, of course. I had to have a total hysterotomy, but luckily they got all the cancer with just that one surgery. Leaving me with a new outlook on my second chance. I started work there in November 2016 and have been in substance use treatment ever since. I have completed my peer support specialist certificate through the University of Nevada Reno and got licensed with the Nevada State Board for Behavioral Healthcare. I have been slowly working toward my Bachelor's in Social Work to be a treatment counselor and spread the care and kindness graced upon me during my time in the system. Ideally, I will be able to expunge my record and go to work in the very system that saved my life. In NA, we have a saying, "The best way to keep this gift is to give it away" I genuinely believe I have been given every chance to live this life better and better each year so that I can light the way for the next addicts with statistics stacked against them. I continue to engage in therapy and self-care and make sure that I am in a healthy place while I work for the change our society needs.

My name is Edith and I am a recovering addict with nine years of sobriety. Over these nine years, I have completed a residential and outpatient treatment program. I realized at that time that I was deeply impacted by the social workers who were also in recovery and decided that was the career for me. I started working as peer support in the treatment facility where I completed outpatient and got to really put in the work to show others that the hard work we put into our recovery is worth it. I obtained my Peer Recovery Support certificate through the State of Nevada Behavioral Health Board during this time and started school to work on a degree. I am currently starting my third year in the Social Work program. I am so blessed to go to work every day and see my peers growing and learning to love themselves again; rebuild relationships with families and reconnect with their children. This is an uphill battle that is easier fought with support at your side and I have put my life into doing just that. When there are group participants who are new and we discuss fellowships such as AA, NA or SMART Recovery I always try to convey that there is no one answer or path for every addict. Our brains and faith paths are different so our roads to recovery will be different. What is important is the fellowship itself, recovery is a journey best traveled in groups. I like to ask them why every member from the new to the seasoned is important: "When I get to the top I will turn back and reach for those struggling behind me because the best way to keep this gift is to give it away" is a quote I use often and even have printed in my office. I was saved in a program that is offered inside of a state prison, I know it's not a pretty picture to an outsider but the reality is that addiction takes lives; to death or incarceration, so, I consider myself lucky to have been given the opportunity to go into the Therapeutic Community program that I did because the alternative was overdose and death. While I was there we had a warden come in and talk to us about the recidivism rate in our state and that we are in the right place to have a life change if we work hard enough. I took that speech to heart and have worked very hard to be the person I am today. That is why I am currently in court proceeding to seal my record and working on a degree in social work. In a year I hope to be starting my internship in the very State Prison Program that saved my life. If people like me don't go back and show the way who will? I hope that this look into my journey has shown some light into a world that is covered up and darkened by stigma. Because even if I am not awarded this scholarship I believe it is imperative that we see these people who need a mix of compassion and tough love to get them through to the light of recovery.

My name is Edith, and I am a recovering addict with nine years of sobriety. Over these nine years, I have completed a residential and outpatient treatment program. I realized then that I was deeply impacted by the social workers who were also in recovery and decided that was the career for me. I started working as peer support in the treatment facility where I completed outpatient and got to really put in the work to show others that the hard work we put into our recovery is worth it. I obtained my Peer Recovery Support certificate through the State of Nevada Behavioral Health Board and started school to work on a degree. I am currently starting my third year in the Social Work program. I am so blessed to go to work every day and see my peers growing and learning to love themselves again, rebuild relationships with families, and reconnect with their children. This is an uphill battle that is easier fought with support at your side, and I have put my life into doing just that. When there are group participants who are new, and we discuss fellowships such as AA, NA, or SMART Recovery, I always try to convey that there is no one answer or path for every addict. Our brains and faith paths are different, so our roads to recovery will be different. What is important is the fellowship itself; recovery is a journey best traveled in groups. I like to ask them why every member, from the new to the seasoned, is essential: "When I get to the top, I will turn back and reach for those struggling behind me because the best way to keep this gift is to give it away" is a quote I use often and even have printed in my office. I was saved in a program that is offered inside of a state prison; I know it's not a pretty picture to an outsider, but the reality is that addiction takes lives, to death or incarceration, so I consider myself lucky to have been allowed to go into the Therapeutic Community program that I did because the alternative was overdose and death. While I was there, we had a warden come in and talk to us about the recidivism rate in our state and that we are in the right place to have a life change if we work hard enough. I took that speech to heart and have worked hard to be who I am today. That is why I am currently in the court proceeding to seal my record and working on a degree in social work. In a year, I hope to start my internship in the State Prison Program that saved my life. If people like me don't return and show the way, who will? I hope this look into my journey has shown some light into a world covered up and darkened by stigma. Because even if I am not awarded this scholarship, I believe it is imperative that we see these people who need a mix of compassion and tough love to get them through to the light of recovery.

I was saved by a prison sentence. My name is Edith, and I am a recovering heroin addict with NINE years of sobriety. I was 25 when a felony drug charge earned me a five-year probation term and drug court. Unfortunately, I found myself in and out of jail for the next two years because I was losing a battle with my addiction. Finally, the last time I went in front of the judge in Mineral County, NV, I was about to be sent to a rehab facility with a high success rate; I had a moment of clarity that changed my course for the rest of my life. I interrupted my lawyer and requested a moment to speak. I stood before the judge that day and allowed myself to be candid about my life and the reality of my addiction. For the first time, I admitted to him and myself that I was beyond helpless and that if he let me out again, I would run and ultimately succumb to the deadly addiction. Instead, I requested to be remanded to prison for my absconding charges because I knew I would finally be in a place I could not run from and would be safe from myself. In that prison, I entered a treatment program known as a therapeutic community and spent the better part of a year learning to love myself again and feel worthy of the effort to rebuild myself into a productive member of society. I completed that program and was released in November of 2014. During the next two years, I completed an outpatient treatment program as well, and I put the tools I learned to work and rebuilt my relationships with my family and friends, that never gave up on me. I was happy to go on about my life just being me until I received the worst news one can get after working so hard to become a better person; I had stage three cervical cancer. I went to talk to the woman who had been my counselor in outpatient to help me sort through the emotions threatening to tear my hard work apart. She calmed me down and made an outlandish suggestion. She offered me a job as a peer support specialist after my treatment, of course. I had to have a total hysterotomy, but luckily they got all the cancer with just that one surgery. Leaving me with a new outlook on my second chance. I started work there in November 2016 and have been in substance use treatment ever since. I have completed my peer support specialist certificate through the University of Nevada Reno and got licensed with the Nevada State Board for Behavioral Healthcare. I have been slowly working toward my Bachelor's in Social Work to be a treatment counselor and spread the care and kindness graced upon me during my time in the system. Ideally, I will be able to expunge my record and go to work in the very system that saved my life. In NA, we have a saying, "The best way to keep this gift is to give it away" I genuinely believe I have been given every chance to live this life better and better each year so that I can light the way for the next addicts with statistics stacked against them.