I have struggled with mental health and substance abuse almost my entire life. Early on I showed signs of mental health issues that were hereditary from my dad. How my mother and sister made me feel about it was a negative impact. They made me feel as an outcast and like something was wrong with me. I still did okay in school sometimes getting in trouble for talking or not sitting still but I would years later find out ADHD and was behind that. My mom never took me to get any kind of help, she just liked to point out that I had a problem and needed to be medicated. Yet, she wouldn't take me. After years of feeling alone, I did start to show a violent streak. Towards my sister and my mom I guess because of how they made me feel about myself. It started from maybe 10 to late teen years. Around the same time I was experiencing that I did start using drugs. Smoking Marijuana trying Xanax and nerve pills. I started drinking and partying too, ran away a few times ending up in juvenile during the summers. I still managed to go to school though, even though I was acting out at home. Maintained decent grades. Well, I was 15 ended up pregnant, still went to school. Stopped using drugs and drinking and was going to be the best mom I could be. I was determined. While I was pregnant my mom and sister tried to get me to abort it, place her up for adoption, anything. Telling me I had issues and I wouldn't be a good mom and I was a slut, a disgrace, and I was just like my father. Well, I had her April 21st, 2005. I was a sophomore in high school. I loved her. The moment I had her, I adored her. Well my mom and sister we determined to work against me, not with me. I was on juvenile probation and on house arrest. My mom went out of town, leaving me with a neighbor. While my mother was gone, my sister called my probation officer advising I had violated, which I hadn't because my mom took me there, I had no choice. I was ordered in to come see her when my mom got back. My officer pulled me back and asked what had happened because I had been doing so good. This day my mom insisted on my sister watching my daughter while I went in. Fishy? Well I explained everything to my officer. About the home issues, the verbal abuse,emotional abuse, all of it. Told her they still would tell me how i would never be a good mom etc. Well my officer told me to come back tomorrow and bring my daughter with me. So I did. And she placed me in foster care, with my daughter and my mom under arrest. I felt it was a fresh start. I was 16 though and did not know how the system worked. Within a years time, my mom had tried to get my daughter out but leave me. That wasn't something she could do. I was placed into care my daughter was still in my custody. So my mom had to work to get us both out if she wanted her grandkid. So, she did all the stuff to get us out and eventually she did. While I was in foster care though I finally seen a mental health doctor and was diagnosed ADHD and manic depressive bipolar disorder. Which makes alot of sense. Well once my mom got us back things were okay at first. My sister had moved out so it was just me and my mom, my daughter was in daycare for me to go to high school and me leave at 12 and go to work at sonic. I was on my meds and doing great in school. Then it became harder to get my meds because I would have to get them on my own, my mom wouldn't always take me. Sometimes she did but others she wouldn't. I ended up getting a boyfriend who helped alot with my appointments, my daughter, and great. He became controlling. I left him, he burned my house down. The next day I was questioned and my mom had told the officers it was me because we had been fighting. I went to jail and she took custody of my daughter. Charges dropped because I had been with a friend that night. I had no where to go. My mom took my daughter. I lost my meds. I lost everything and went on a path of self destruction for the next 16 years until the last 3 years, im in recovery and thriving.

Recovery means a new start to a much better life. It's that fresh chance that noone wants to give to an addict because of the bridges that were burned as they lived out their active lifestyle. It's that chance to start over, learn a new way of living, and to face challenges that we never thought was possible to face before. It's having a network of people in your corner for when things get tough but you continue to push through the hardships because you aren't alone anymore. You have people who understand what you are going through and can share their experiences with you so you can learn how to navigate your fresh start in a better sense. It's knowing that you might stumble a few times but you have always got to get back up and try because without getting back up, you won't have recovery.

I plan to use my education to give back to the community that saved my life. Recovery. I'm a recovering addict, will be sober for three years August 12 2024. I have had a tough road but here I am. Trying. Surviving. Giving back and helping those who I've walked the same shoes and someone gave me a hand. I want to get my associates in psychology and use it to get a job with the jail, mental health clinic, or probation offices to help those people who don't know there is help out there. To better understand addiction bc everyone's addiction and recovery is different. Mine has given me experience but I'm educating myself to gain more experience with mental health disorders and co-occuring diagnosis disorders that factor in to the disease of addiction. My family has given up on me after 15 years of off and on alcohol and drug abuse. I was in and out of juvenile and when of age jail. I missed out on my only child growing up because I was in active addiction and didn't understand any of it. I just knew I kept using over and over and no matter how much I wanted to quit, I would still everyday find a way to get what my body and mind thought it needed. Being just like my dad, I was a full blown drug addict by the time I was 18. And it didn't stop until I was 31 years old. The only reason why I actually ended up getting help was because I went to jail over and over but I finally ended up with drug charges which got me a case worker. She went above and beyond to actually understand me, she got me a mental health appointment within the jail, which is where I learned I am most definitely my father's daughter and diagnosed with schizophrenia and manic bipolar depressive disorder and adhd. From getting my mental health taken care of I ended up going to rehab and then sent to a halfway house where, you guessed it, my case worker found funding for for the deposit and few months rent which enabled me to get out and learn stability and how to live clean. From there I got a job again, got my license back, got a car and have built relationships with my family, my recovery family, God, and I help in recovery as much as possible. I want to become a case worker like mine because without her understanding I would've never made it this far. I want to help as many addicts get help and get themselves back to a sober and productive way of living.

I plan to use my education to give back to the community that saved my life. Recovery. I'm a recovering addict, will be sober for three years August 12 2024. I have had a tough road but here I am. Trying. Surviving. Giving back and helping those who I've walked the same shoes and someone gave me a hand. I want to get my associates in psychology and use it to get a job with the jail, mental health clinic, or probation offices to help those people who don't know there is help out there. To better understand addiction bc everyone's addiction and recovery is different. Mine has given me experience but I'm educating myself to gain more experience with mental health disorders and co-occuring diagnosis disorders that factor in to the disease of addiction. My family has given up on me after 15 years of off and on alcohol and drug abuse. I was in and out of juvenile and when of age jail. I missed out on my only child growing up because I was in active addiction and didn't understand any of it. I just knew I kept using over and over and no matter how much I wanted to quit, I would still everyday find a way to get what my body and mind thought it needed. Being just like my dad, I was a full blown drug addict by the time I was 18. And it didn't stop until I was 31 years old. The only reason why I actually ended up getting help was because I went to jail over and over but I finally ended up with drug charges which got me a case worker. She went above and beyond to actually understand me, she got me a mental health appointment within the jail, which is where I learned I am most definitely my father's daughter and diagnosed with schizophrenia and manic bipolar depressive disorder and adhd. From getting my mental health taken care of I ended up going to rehab and then sent to a halfway house where, you guessed it, my case worker found funding for for the deposit and few months rent which enabled me to get out and learn stability and how to live clean. From there I got a job again, got my license back, got a car and have built relationships with my family, my recovery family, God, and I help in recovery as much as possible. I want to become a case worker like mine because without her understanding I would've never made it this far. I want to help as many addicts get help and get themselves back to a sober and productive way of living.

I plan to use my education to give back to the community that saved my life. Recovery. I'm a recovering addict, will be sober for three years August 12 2024. I have had a tough road but here I am. Trying. Surviving. Giving back and helping those who I've walked the same shoes and someone gave me a hand. I want to get my associates in psychology and use it to get a job with the jail, mental health clinic, or probation offices to help those people who don't know there is help out there. To better understand addiction bc everyone's addiction and recovery is different. Mine has given me experience but I'm educating myself to gain more experience with mental health disorders and co-occuring diagnosis disorders that factor in to the disease of addiction. My family has given up on me after 15 years of off and on alcohol and drug abuse. I was in and out of juvenile and when of age jail. I missed out on my only child growing up because I was in active addiction and didn't understand any of it. I just knew I kept using over and over and no matter how much I wanted to quit, I would still everyday find a way to get what my body and mind thought it needed. Being just like my dad, I was a full blown drug addict by the time I was 18. And it didn't stop until I was 31 years old. The only reason why I actually ended up getting help was because I went to jail over and over but I finally ended up with drug charges which got me a case worker. She went above and beyond to actually understand me, she got me a mental health appointment within the jail, which is where I learned I am most definitely my father's daughter and diagnosed with schizophrenia and manic bipolar depressive disorder and adhd. From getting my mental health taken care of I ended up going to rehab and then sent to a halfway house where, you guessed it, my case worker found funding for for the deposit and few months rent which enabled me to get out and learn stability and how to live clean. From there I got a job again, got my license back, got a car and have built relationships with my family, my recovery family, God, and I help in recovery as much as possible. I want to become a case worker like mine because without her understanding I would've never made it this far. I want to help as many addicts get help and get themselves back to a sober and productive way of living.

I plan to use my education to give back to the community that saved my life. Recovery. I'm a recovering addict, will be sober for three years August 12 2024. I have had a tough road but here I am. Trying. Surviving. Giving back and helping those who I've walked the same shoes and someone gave me a hand. I want to get my associates in psychology and use it to get a job with the jail, mental health clinic, or probation offices to help those people who don't know there is help out there. To better understand addiction bc everyone's addiction and recovery is different. Mine has given me experience but I'm educating myself to gain more experience with mental health disorders and co-occuring diagnosis disorders that factor in to the disease of addiction. My family has given up on me after 15 years of off and on alcohol and drug abuse. I was in and out of juvenile and when of age jail. I missed out on my only child growing up because I was in active addiction and didn't understand any of it. I just knew I kept using over and over and no matter how much I wanted to quit, I would still everyday find a way to get what my body and mind thought it needed. Being just like my dad, I was a full blown drug addict by the time I was 18. And it didn't stop until I was 31 years old. The only reason why I actually ended up getting help was because I went to jail over and over but I finally ended up with drug charges which got me a case worker. She went above and beyond to actually understand me, she got me a mental health appointment within the jail, which is where I learned I am most definitely my father's daughter and diagnosed with schizophrenia and manic bipolar depressive disorder and adhd. From getting my mental health taken care of I ended up going to rehab and then sent to a halfway house where, you guessed it, my case worker found funding for for the deposit and few months rent which enabled me to get out and learn stability and how to live clean. From there I got a job again, got my license back, got a car and have built relationships with my family, my recovery family, God, and I help in recovery as much as possible. I want to become a case worker like mine because without her understanding I would've never made it this far. I want to help as many addicts get help and get themselves back to a sober and productive way of living.

I plan to use my education to give back to the community that saved my life. Recovery. I'm a recovering addict, will be sober for three years August 12 2024. I have had a tough road but here I am. Trying. Surviving. Giving back and helping those who I've walked the same shoes and someone gave me a hand. I want to get my associates in psychology and use it to get a job with the jail, mental health clinic, or probation offices to help those people who don't know there is help out there. To better understand addiction bc everyone's addiction and recovery is different. Mine has given me experience but I'm educating myself to gain more experience with mental health disorders and co-occuring diagnosis disorders that factor in to the disease of addiction. My family has given up on me after 15 years of off and on alcohol and drug abuse. I was in and out of juvenile and when of age jail. I missed out on my only child growing up because I was in active addiction and didn't understand any of it. I just knew I kept using over and over and no matter how much I wanted to quit, I would still everyday find a way to get what my body and mind thought it needed. Being just like my dad, I was a full blown drug addict by the time I was 18. And it didn't stop until I was 31 years old. The only reason why I actually ended up getting help was because I went to jail over and over but I finally ended up with drug charges which got me a case worker. She went above and beyond to actually understand me, she got me a mental health appointment within the jail, where I was diagnosed with schizophrenia, manic bipolar depressive disorder and adhd. From getting my mental health taken care of I ended up going to rehab, then sent to a halfway house where my case worker found funding for the deposit and few months rent which enabled me to get out and learn stability and how to live clean. I got a job again, got my license back, got a car and have built relationships with my family, my recovery family, and God. I want to become a case worker because without mine I would've never gotten this far.

I plan to use my education to give back to the community that saved my life. Recovery. I'm a recovering addict, will be sober for three years August 12 2024. I have had a tough road but here I am. Trying. Surviving. Giving back and helping those who I've walked the same shoes and someone gave me a hand. I want to get my associates in psychology and use it to get a job with the jail, mental health clinic, or probation offices to help those people who don't know there is help out there. To better understand addiction bc everyone's addiction and recovery is different. Mine has given me experience but I'm educating myself to gain more experience with mental health disorders and co-occuring diagnosis disorders that factor in to the disease of addiction. My family has given up on me after 15 years of off and on alcohol and drug abuse. I was in and out of juvenile and when of age jail. I missed out on my only child growing up because I was in active addiction and didn't understand any of it. I just knew I kept using over and over and no matter how much I wanted to quit, I would still everyday find a way to get what my body and mind thought it needed. Being just like my dad, I was a full blown drug addict by the time I was 18. And it didn't stop until I was 31 years old. The only reason why I actually ended up getting help was because I went to jail over and over but I finally ended up with drug charges which got me a case worker. She went above and beyond to actually understand me, she got me a mental health appointment within the jail, which is where I learned I am most definitely my father's daughter and diagnosed with schizophrenia and manic bipolar depressive disorder and adhd. From getting my mental health taken care of I ended up going to rehab and then sent to a halfway house where, you guessed it, my case worker found funding for for the deposit and few months rent which enabled me to get out and learn stability and how to live clean. From there I got a job again, got my license back, got a car and have built relationships with my family, my recovery family, God, and I help in recovery as much as possible. I want to become a case worker like mine because without her understanding I would've never made it this far. I want to help as many addicts get help and get themselves back to a sober and productive way of living.

I plan to use my education to give back to the community that saved my life. Recovery. I'm a recovering addict, will be sober for three years August 12 2024. I have had a tough road but here I am. Trying. Surviving. Giving back and helping those who I've walked the same shoes and someone gave me a hand. I want to get my associates in psychology and use it to get a job with the jail, mental health clinic, or probation offices to help those people who don't know there is help out there. To better understand addiction bc everyone's addiction and recovery is different. Mine has given me experience but I'm educating myself to gain more experience with mental health disorders and co-occuring diagnosis disorders that factor in to the disease of addiction. My family has given up on me after 15 years of off and on alcohol and drug abuse. I was in and out of juvenile and when of age jail. I missed out on my only child growing up because I was in active addiction and didn't understand any of it. I just knew I kept using over and over and no matter how much I wanted to quit, I would still everyday find a way to get what my body and mind thought it needed. Being just like my dad, I was a full blown drug addict by the time I was 18. And it didn't stop until I was 31 years old. The only reason why I actually ended up getting help was because I went to jail over and over but I finally ended up with drug charges which got me a case worker. She went above and beyond to actually understand me, she got me a mental health appointment within the jail, which is where I learned I am most definitely my father's daughter and diagnosed with schizophrenia and manic bipolar depressive disorder and adhd. From getting my mental health taken care of I ended up going to rehab and then sent to a halfway house where, you guessed it, my case worker found funding for for the deposit and few months rent which enabled me to get out and learn stability and how to live clean. From there I got a job again, got my license back, got a car and have built relationships with my family, my recovery family, God, and I help in recovery as much as possible. I want to become a case worker like mine because without her understanding I would've never made it this far. I want to help as many addicts get help and get themselves back to a sober and productive way of living.

I plan to use my education to give back to the community that saved my life. Recovery. I'm a recovering addict, will be sober for three years August 12 2024. I have had a tough road but here I am. Trying. Surviving. Giving back and helping those who I've walked the same shoes and someone gave me a hand. I want to get my associates in psychology and use it to get a job with the jail, mental health clinic, or probation offices to help those people who don't know there is help out there. To better understand addiction bc everyone's addiction and recovery is different. Mine has given me experience but I'm educating myself to gain more experience with mental health disorders and co-occuring diagnosis disorders that factor in to the disease of addiction. My family has given up on me after 15 years of off and on alcohol and drug abuse. I was in and out of juvenile and when of age jail. I missed out on my only child growing up because I was in active addiction and didn't understand any of it. I just knew I kept using over and over and no matter how much I wanted to quit, I would still everyday find a way to get what my body and mind thought it needed. Being just like my dad, I was a full blown drug addict by the time I was 18. And it didn't stop until I was 31 years old. The only reason why I actually ended up getting help was because I went to jail over and over but I finally ended up with drug charges which got me a case worker. She went above and beyond to actually understand me, she got me a mental health appointment within the jail, which is where I learned I am most definitely my father's daughter and diagnosed with schizophrenia and manic bipolar depressive disorder and adhd. From getting my mental health taken care of I ended up going to rehab and then sent to a halfway house where, you guessed it, my case worker found funding for for the deposit and few months rent which enabled me to get out and learn stability and how to live clean. From there I got a job again, got my license back, got a car and have built relationships with my family, my recovery family, God, and I help in recovery as much as possible. I want to become a case worker like mine because without her understanding I would've never made it this far. I want to help as many addicts get help and get themselves back to a sober and productive way of living.

I plan to use my education to give back to the community that saved my life. Recovery. I'm a recovering addict, will be sober for three years August 12 2024. I have had a tough road but here I am. Trying. Surviving. Giving back and helping those who I've walked the same shoes and someone gave me a hand. I want to get my associates in psychology and use it to get a job with the jail, mental health clinic, or probation offices to help those people who don't know there is help out there. To better understand addiction bc everyone's addiction and recovery is different. Mine has given me experience but I'm educating myself to gain more experience with mental health disorders and co-occuring diagnosis disorders that factor in to the disease of addiction. My family has given up on me after 15 years of off and on alcohol and drug abuse. I was in and out of juvenile and when of age jail. I missed out on my only child growing up because I was in active addiction and didn't understand any of it. I just knew I kept using over and over and no matter how much I wanted to quit, I would still everyday find a way to get what my body and mind thought it needed. Being just like my dad, I was a full blown drug addict by the time I was 18. And it didn't stop until I was 31 years old. The only reason why I actually ended up getting help was because I went to jail over and over but I finally ended up with drug charges which got me a case worker. She went above and beyond to actually understand me, she got me a mental health appointment within the jail, which is where I learned I am most definitely my father's daughter and diagnosed with schizophrenia and manic bipolar depressive disorder and adhd. From getting my mental health taken care of I ended up going to rehab and then sent to a halfway house where, you guessed it, my case worker found funding for for the deposit and few months rent which enabled me to get out and learn stability and how to live clean. From there I got a job again, got my license back, got a car and have built relationships with my family, my recovery family, God, and I help in recovery as much as possible. I want to become a case worker like mine because without her understanding I would've never made it this far. I want to help as many addicts get help and get themselves back to a sober and productive way of living.