I was raised by a single mom who kept me from my father and his family, I grew up quite lonely. I had no brothers or sisters and didn’t have any friends really because I was very isolated from the outside world. I began drinking at a VERY young age. I would pick up cans of beer that were laying around the house before I even learned to add and subtract. My addiction at a young age didn’t even worry my mom, she was simply a drinking buddy for me.

My addiction went on for years and years, with no real end in sight. I dragged on for quite a while stuck in misery and addiction, until I hit rock bottom. I was now selling my body for drugs, simply being used for sex. I had lost all of my self-respect and worthiness of being a human being.  I went to church at GCH while being drunk about a month ago, after I decided to leave my “boyfriend/PIMP.” I sat alone on the lawn after church drunk, abandoned, and hurting. I was praying to be saved, and God must have heard my prayers. Two incredible Angels helped me up and brought me to Meridian to get cleaned up.

I was finally ready to get the help that I needed because I knew that God was with me and that I wouldn’t be alone in this fight. During recovery, it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Occasionally, you may fall down. You must then pick yourself up, and keep on trucking. After nearly 4 years of sobriety, I relapsed… Accepting the fact that I lost my clean time was difficult, but necessary. I recognize that I still have the courage to keep fighting, and I won’t let a hiccup kill what I have worked so hard to achieve! Restarting my recovery journey is very difficult, but absolutely necessary. 

Since I never really had family, I made a best friend here at Grace Centers of Hope who wants nothing but a good life for me. Having a good friend/family in your corner can make a world of difference. Take your treatment day by day, and don’t give in to temptation. Satan will definitely try to get you, but God will prevail.

Since being at Grace Centers of Hope I have a loving relationship with God, and I have MANY new sisters in Christ. It is a blessing that I am not alone anymore, it makes recovery much more tolerable. I set small goals now in my recovery, and every day I regain more and more of my mental stability. There is still HOPE in this world, you just have to let go, and LET GOD WORK!