Perry County Stories

Allyson

In 2014, I believed there was no hope for my future. I had been addicted to opiates and other drugs for over 12 years, and I was firmly in the grip of active addiction. I felt I wasn't good enough: good enough for my three beautiful children, good enough for their father, good enough for my family or good enough for my community. Convicted on a number of different charges, I did jail time and eventually wound up in long-term faith-based treatment. When I graduated from the program in 2015, I simply wanted to take care of my children and survive. I had no hope beyond that.

Fast forward to 2019. Due to the support of my family and this amazing community, I am the proud mother of three fantastic kids, the wife of their wonderful father who stuck by me through it all and today I am employed as the Executive Director of the Perry County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism. We are active in our community and our church, and we are not only surviving the opioid crisis. We are thriving!

To whomever believes there is no hope, that they aren't good enough, that they can recover from opioid addiction and thrive: I'm here to tell you, the sky is the limit if you continue to push forward.