In an effort to reduce stigma against people who use drugs and encourage hope, Voices of Hope is sharing real stories of real people in recovery. We all can make a difference in someone’s life when they are struggling. Recovery from addiction is possible and it is all around us. We can change the narrative about addiction and overdose deaths by creating a community that inspires, encourages and supports recovery. We do recover!

My recovery journey started after thirteen years of addiction, undiagnosed mental health
disorders, and multiple trauma experiences. I was 26 years old when I had run home back to
Cecil County after experiencing human sex trafficking for the third time in South Carolina and
was on the run from Drug Court. I had been home for two days when I had got incarcerated in
CCDC which over thirteen years had become my second home from the streets. While in CCDC
Walt from Drug Court had come in to talk to me and ask what had happened, why I had run, and
what help I needed. I did not see any hope for myself nor a future for when you live in darkness
for so long and experience nothing but death how can you see the light and brightness of the
world. When speaking to Walt he said what no one had said to me in a long time and that was
that he saw hope and a spark still left in my eyes and with the right care and treatment I would
one day be successful. With that Drug Court had sent me to Baltimore, MD to a program that
eventually saved my life called The Samaritan Women. While at TSW I had received trauma,
informed care, was diagnosed with bipolar, depression, anxiety, and PTSD. I also received
intense trauma and addictions counseling, as well as received vocational training and later was
able to enroll into college and began my journey in achieving my Bachelor’s degree for Human
Services with the goal to one day become an Addictions Counselor. I was able to receive
parenting classes while I was there and have visitation with my Son every Saturday of each
month and regain that mother and son bond that was taken away from us due to my addiction.

As I grew farther away from that past life, I experienced blessings, healing, and restoration. I was able
to discover who I was and meant to become through all the pain, struggles, trauma, and life as an
addict. It was then when I knew I would one day give back and serve in helping other addicts just
like myself and do for them what others had done for me in bringing hope, light, and encouragement that recovery is possible and there is light in the mist of darkness. I was in the
program for ten and half months and transitioned into sober living with Pastor Phil in the Amy’s
House in North East, MD. There I was able to build stability on my own, continue my pathway of
recovery which for me is spiritual based, have more time with my son every weekend, gain
employment, continue school and discover what my next path in life was. After three months in
the Amy’s house, I was able to save enough money to move into my own home in Earlville, MD,
regain custody of my son, have another child, continue school, work with TSW as an advocate
for woman who have been victimized by human sex trafficking, as well as work with Patty Lee
doing outreach missions for her organization known as Angels of Addiction for addicts still
caught in the grips of addiction. I later graduated the Drug Court program in June, 2019 after 3
long years as well as probation which I had been on for 10 years. After achieving all those
accomplishments, I knew I wanted to achieve more so I applied at Recovery Centers of America and gained employment as a Recovery Support Specialist as well as continuing school. I have upheld a 3.8 GPA and am halfway towards my Bachelor’s degree as well as working towards achieving my certification as a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist for the state of Maryland. While working at RCA I knew I
then wanted to transition into working more with peers and be more involved in the recovery
world of coordinating treatment and quality informed care for addicts just like myself. I then
sought employment at Voices of Hope which I am currently a Peer Recovery Specialist on the
CATCH team. I now have over three years clean and striving to achieve more goals I set for
myself to accomplish each year.