Drug addiction doesn’t always look like you might think it would. Every day, people with good jobs, from safe neighborhoods, and happy childhoods are falling prey to drug addiction. Here, we listen to Paige, and hear her story, as she travels from happy home to the depths of addiction and back again, to a happy home in recovery.
I had a normal childhood
Growing up, I had a pretty luxurious life. I lived in a beautiful home in a small town. I had a very normal upbringing; two parents, a sister. I was very loved by my whole entire family.
My first drink was when I was twelve years old. When I got into high school, though, it turned into drinking every day. Doing other drugs – pills, pharmaceuticals, anything, really, that I could find.
Then came heroin…
When I was sixteen, I was introduced to heroin. I kept on hitting new bottoms that I never thought I would. I was at the point where I was overdosing regularly. I would wake up and then, after I came to, the first thing that I wanted to do was load up another needle, and do it again.
I thought I was going to die
I thought I was gonna die. I had accepted that. I was twenty years old at the time, and I didn’t think I was gonna make it to my 21st birthday.
And then clarity…
I had a small period of clarity that I was just so sick, and tired of doing what I was doing and I needed help. And in that small window of time, my family was able to get me into treatment. I don’t really know what happened, I just believe that God showed up in my life, and I kind of dropped that attitude and I ended up going with an open mind. It sounded horrible to me, it sounded way too structured. I did not want any part of it.
My third inpatient treatment center–it worked
Green Mountain Treatment Center was my third inpatient treatment center. It was definitely different than any place I had ever been. I went to the Ritz-Carlton of treatment centers – that didn’t work for me. The 12 Steps just started right away, which was probably the best thing for me. I really enjoyed it. It was definitely my favorite place – my favorite treatment center that I ever went to, and obviously, it worked for me. They didn’t sugarcoat anything, they just told you the truth, which is what I needed to hear at that time. They told me that one day I would be recovered, and that I could go anywhere a free man could go, like it says in the Big Book.
So my life today, I’m actually not working right now. I’m on maternity leave, um, because I had a baby girl two months ago. Two years ago I didn’t think that I would live this long. I definitely didn’t think that I would be able to bring another life into this world. I never thought I would be a mom, ever. And you know, she never has to see me like that, she never has to know about any of that, so…
My name is Paige and I am an alumni of Green Mountain Treatment Center.
Watch Paige’s full story:
