Addiction is something I feel deeply connected to. With many family members caught in its grasp, I’ve carried both emotional weight and a strong desire to help. As a child, I often felt powerless watching loved ones suffer, determined that my future children would never endure the same pain, yet still worried about my own vulnerability. Seeing someone wrestle with addiction and knowing they’re someone’s child stirs me profoundly. All too often, people complete recovery programs only to be released into isolation, left to rebuild without meaningful support. That’s why, as I pursue my LPN license and later expand my career into nursing, social work, and mental health care, I’m driven to mend this broken link. I’m convinced that integrating individuals in long-term recovery into rehab programs not only gives them renewed purpose, but also offers others true empathy and relatable guidance. People with lived experience, when trained and empowered, can connect with those struggling in ways clinical staff sometimes cannot. They help reduce relapse, increase treatment retention, and guide clients to community resources. At the same time, these peer supporters reinforce their own recovery through what’s called the “helper therapy principle”: in helping others, they strengthen their own healing, identity, and sense of purpose. This belief shapes my vision; recovery should be lifelong and communal. Graduating from rehab shouldn’t mean being sent out alone. Instead, graduates need mentors, people who have walked the path before them, and access to supportive, sober communities that normalize their journey and celebrate progress. Starting my career as an LPN in a rehab facility, I plan to; partner closely with peer support specialists and advocate for their inclusion as essential members of the care team; deliver holistic nursing care that addresses not just physical symptoms, but also emotional and spiritual needs; and design aftercare plans personalized to each individual, incorporating community recovery groups and practices that sustain long-term healing. I imagine recovery cafés, alumni networks, and community-based support groups as vital spaces where clients are seen and affirmed as whole people, not merely patients. These environments help build identity, foster connection, and offer ongoing encouragement. Ultimately, my aim is to blend clinical nursing skills with advocacy and social support, creating a sustainable model for recovery. I want every person leaving rehab to know they’re not alone, that someone who’s been in their shoes is there to guide them. By weaving together earned insight, professional care, and lifelong community, I hope to transform my family’s history of pain into a source of healing, purpose, and hope for others.