I started experimenting with marijuana and alcohol at the age of 9. Thinking it was “cool” because it was what all my older friends were doing. I got sick and didn’t drink or get high often, just when I was hanging out with friends that were also doing it. My life was pretty normal aside from my little experiment, until I was 13. My best friends grandfather would invite me to his house to swim, often asking me to show him my private parts while he touched himself. This gave me a false sense of being wanted and feeling attractive so not long after this started I began to hang out with boys more often and became sexually active. This also led to my increased use of alcohol and marijuana.
By the time I was in high school I met who I thought was the love of my life, we had no boundaries and spent every waking minute together. Eventually we were introduced to cocaine at a party and instantly fell in love with it. Coke led to crack, crack led to heroin, heroin led to bath salt, bath salt led to dealing and the entire lifestyle that comes with the “fast life”.
Over the years I’ve been raped numerous times, I’ve sold my body for the next high, I’ve been kidnapped and left for dead, been in beyond abusive relationships, broke the hearts of my family and friends that cared about me, lost custody of my son, and the list continues.
In 2014 I was indicted for conspiracy to possess and deliver alpha PvP aka bath salt and sentenced to 3 years in federal prison. While away I participated in an intense, 9 month treatment call RDAP, and this program helped me change my way of thinking and pin point why I did what I did.
Since being released in October 2016, I have seemed out the Certified recovery specialist training program and after 2 years and still going of being sober, I get to use my story to help other people suffering through addiction and giving them hope that they can change their lives around.
It’s amazing to be where I am in my life right now and I am more than grateful to those that helped me get here.