"I grew up in a chaotic home full of neglect. I witnessed physical abuse consistently and was sexually molested by an adult neighbor when I was 11 years old. I began experimenting with drugs at this point, mostly marijuana and a variety of illegally obtained prescription medications.Social services removed me from my home not long after and placed me in a home that I always felt unloved and out of place in. It was during this time I was placed on probation for my drug use and spent all of my teens years on as I went through periods of recovery and relapse. I first tried methamphetamine at 16 years old and was a consistent user of it for a few years. I moved out after highschool, had a child and got my life back on track. I was clean for many years. I served in the military, had good jobs, got married and had two more children. At the age of 32 my husband began using methamphetamine in secret and it quickly spiraled in a horrible, abusive relationship. I eventually left the marriage but the mental and physical threats were still very real as my husband has zero fear of the law. I was overwhelmed, had no support system, was struggling financially and turned back to methamphetamine myself to cope with it all. I quickly spiraled down with this drug and spent the next four years lost to it. It dedicated every hour of every day looking for, obtaining and using it. I was arrested on four felony possession charges, put on probation and eventually failed enough drug tests I was given the option for a rehab center or to serve my prison time for my felonies. I chose rehab. I chose the Lovelady in Birmingham, Alabama, a center for women that focuses on keeping their children with them during recovery. I lived at the center with my children for 9 months and this program changed my life. It was not an instant fix and it took the entire 9 months to get my head straight. Graduating was not the end of the struggle with my desire for the drugs but with the knowledge and tools I gained at the Lovelady I stayed clean. I have been clean for almost 3 years and rarely ever think of the drugs anymore. I am now in my third year of a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology with a minor in Substance Abuse Disorders, of which I intend to use to help those lost in addiction find recovery. I have joy in my life that I never had on drugs."