To me recovery means freedom from the isolation, misery, and pain of the loss of connection with my Higher Power, my support group, my daughter, myself, and my family that happens every time I go back into active addiction. It means I don't have to be an example of what active addiction looks like for my 7 year old daughter. It means I get to show her what living without substances looks like in hopes of her breaking the cycle of addiction in which we have a long family history. It also means that as I learn to navigate my emotions and the ups and downs that come with life, I get to show her how to do the same. Being a woman in recovery has given me a new identity one of being a grateful follower and believer thriving in Christ and no longer the one of being a drug addict just surviving. I attend and hold service commitments in three different recovery support programs (AA, NA, and CR), without whom I would not still be clean nor would my life be as full and as joyful as it is. Being a woman in recovery has also given me a direction and a purpose for my life. I have always enjoyed helping other people and I am currently enrolled in my 4th term, with straight A's, working towards the Addiction Studies Certificate and the AAS Human Services degree in which I plan to become a Drug and Alcohol Counselor.