Stories of Hope

My name is Stacey and I am an addict. My father went to prison when I was six years old and shortly after I was sexually abused by someone close to me. I started abusing marijuana to avoid my feelings of shame and guilt. My family moved from McDowell County, WV to Fort Lauderdale, FL when my father was released on parole. This is when my drug use really became heavy. I used anything I could get my hands on to avoid dealing with myself. By the age of sixteen, I was a full-fledged crack cocaine user. My family eventually moved back to WV. I...

Before addiction, I had a picture-perfect life. I grew up in an amazing household with my mom, dad, and two younger sisters. All our needs were provided for and most of our wants. I was never around drugs or alcohol throughout my childhood and I lived a normal, happy life. I started experimenting with alcohol and marijuana at the age of 16 when I was in high school. I started using prescription pills around the age of 21 and that was when my addiction started to take over my life. I hid my struggles from everyone around me. I was enrolled in...

I am from Wilmington, Delaware, born and raised. I grew up in a rough, mainly urban community. Drugs played a role in my everyday setting. Whether it was smoking weed, drinking liquor, or popping pills. The amount that was consumed depended on the type of mood I was in that day. My mother had me when she was 13 years old and my dad was 15 years old. Both parents were around but my grandparents played a major role in raising me. I had a fair childhood, but I wasn’t the “go to school” type of kid....