Hawkins County Stories

Brittny

I have been in recovery since June 11, 2015. I lost everything while in addiction, including custody of my son. Since getting sober, I have regained custody of my son, started college and helping to start an anti-drug coalition and will be CPRS-certified soon. Sobriety has led me to a relationship with my creator, and He continues to guide me in helping others every day.

Jennifer

My addiction to opioids started with a prescription for pain medication following a tonsillectomy during my freshman year of high school. From an early age, I suffered from both anxiety and depression. When I felt the effects of prescription pain killers for the first time, I found an avenue of escape. I’ll never forget that first time. I can honestly say that I was hooked instantly. The numbing of my own reality quickly became a way of life. After my pills ran out, I went to the medicine cabinets of family members. I couldn’t stop and, at the time, I had no desire to. For once, I didn’t have to feel or acknowledge any of the hurt or pain that had tormented me for so long. No one suspected me. I was well trusted - a good student, active in my church, involved in lots of extracurricular activities and I had never been in any trouble. My life quickly spiraled out of control, something that would continue, on and off, for many years to come.

I continued to experiment with other substances as the years passed. Aside from the substances themselves, I became addicted to the lifestyle. There were times that I simply couldn’t function any other way. Life, for me, was all about chasing that next escape. I spent many years in active addiction, with multiple failed attempts at sobriety. People all around me were losing their lives to overdose and other addiction-related complications, and yet I continued. I vividly remember going to sleep sometimes not knowing if I would wake up or not and I didn’t care. I was only concerned with getting high in that particular moment.  I hated the person that I was and the life that I lived, yet it seemed I could never maintain anything different. The very thing that I identified as my remedy was, in fact, the source of my ever-approaching demise.

Thankfully, that all changed and I finally realized that my life had value and purpose. I learned to love myself and found hope in my future. The road has been far from easy and I’ve had to learn a lot of things the hard way, but I’ve been blessed with another chance to live the life that was intended for me. I’m not the same person that I was twelve years ago. Grace and mercy were extended to me by a loving Savior that has given me a new life. Through Christ, my mess has been converted to a message of hope and redemption. My life today is something that I am truly grateful for.

I am a mom to the most amazing son, who brings so much joy and fulfillment to my heart. The friends and family that I surround myself with are a phenomenal source of support. I can actually deal with my feelings and emotions now, rather than desensitizing myself.  I am, ironically, a recovered pill addict that works for a retail pharmacy. I’ve been with them for over ten years and have been in a leadership role for nine of those. I’m a college student with the goal of obtaining a degree that will allow me to work professionally in the substance abuse treatment field. Being active in my community is very important to me, having worked as a volunteer child advocate for CASA for Kids and as a recovery advocate. In March of 2018, I felt led to establish a support group in my community. I facilitate that meeting each week and I also serve as a member of our county’s recovery court board. Never would I have imagined when I was in active addiction that this would be my life, yet here I am living clean, sober and well. I’m alive and I’m free! WE DO RECOVER…