I was 25 when I started using heroin and cocaine. After losing my husband, I was drowning in grief and didn’t know how else to cope. Even when I went to a methadone clinic, I kept using. I was arrested at 30, and detoxed in a prison cell. It was painful, physically and emotionally, and I didn’t feel ready to be sober. But over time, something shifted. I started taking classes and slowly began to see my life differently. Other women asked how I was staying clean, and I realized helping them helped me too. Since then, I’ve led recovery groups and supported people through some of the hardest moments in early sobriety. I’ve helped someone detox while pregnant and in an unsafe relationship, and I’ve walked alongside others who thought they couldn’t do it. I know what it’s like to feel lost and beyond saving. I also know that healing is possible. If you’re stuck in that place, I’m here to talk with you through it.