Former Drug Addicts And Their Incredible Recovery Transformations (22 PICS + 2 GIFS)

Posted in RANDOM 4 Dec 2020 2109 5

"When I get in my feelings, I like to look at the picture on the left. Things could always be worse. I was a monster in the picture on the left. You can see it in my eyes that I just didn’t care. I would take your stuff and help you look for it and not feel the least bit guilty. I didn’t care about who I hurt or what the consequences were.

I’m not that person today. Everyone has a past. Unfortunately, mine’s worse than most. But I can honestly say that’s not the person I am today and I’m grateful for that. I am grateful for the people who chose to stick by my side because they know the real me and know my potential."

"Let’s show some love and support to our friend Кat who is celebrating 90 days clean! Keep going, Кat!"

"These two pictures were taken 9 years apart. This is what it looks like to overcome heroin addiction. Thank you God!"

"68 days sober today! This has been the fight of my life. This is the first time I’ve ever actually tried to get sober because I thought it was impossible. It’s not! I wish I knew sooner how much better life could be!"

"My sobriety date is 12/2/17!. The girl on the left was broken, lost, she had given up hope of ever having a life that wasn’t completely ruled by drugs and alcohol. She was scared, hurt and felt there was no way out of the hell she was living. She had fallen so hard and so fast and could barely hold on any longer. She hurt everyone around her and felt completely alone in the world. She did things she never would have done if it weren’t for the crippling grip that addiction had on her. She saw things that she never thought she could heal from.

She felt things no one should have to feel. She had lost the sparkle in her eyes and her body, so weak, began to fall apart just like her mind. She was minutes away from death and she just couldn’t find a reason to keep fighting. The girl on the right is free. She has hope, faith and courage. She holds her head high and does everything she can to stay strong and keep fighting. She feels loved, and she loves just the same.

She is alive and she is connected. She feels her emotions, even the bad, and knows to take things one day at a time. Today, she is a friend, a daughter, and an employee. Today, she can look at herself in the mirror and smile at the girl staring back. Today, she is happy and she knows she can’t do this alone. Thank you to everyone who has been with me through this crazy year, I love you all, I believe in you all and I pray you too find your happiness."

"To the left is me at 160 pounds in the midst of an 8 year heroin and fentanyl addiction. To the right is me today at 210 pounds and 1 week away from celebrating my second year clean!"

"I’m Kailyn and I’m a recovering heroin addict. December 8th, 2016 was one of the worst and best days of my life. It was the day I tried to end my life and ended up in a hospital bed…but little did I know, it was also the first day of the rest of my life.

If I wasn’t homeless or living in a hotel, I was missing my kids grow up because I was in and out of jail. I was broken. I was tired. I was miserable. So so miserable. I was 90 pounds of misery. 90 pounds of despair. My family all prepared to say goodbye. My mother started planning my funeral. My kids thought they would never see their momma again. But by the grace of God, I pulled through. God gave me a second chance at life, and I’d be damned if I was going to waste it.

God is SO good to me today! I had to completely rebuild my life from scratch and was it easy? No. But was it worth it? Absolutely! My life is unrecognizable today. I have almost 4 years sober!

4 years of happiness. 4 years of FREEDOM. I’m married to the love of my life, and am the best mom I can possibly be! My kids have their mom back. My parents have their daughter back. I now live my life sharing my story and showing others that recovery IS possible. You CAN live the life of your dreams if YOU choose to. You just have to want it more than anything else. Remember your past does not define you!! I am living proof. I BEAT THE ODDS. And you can too!"

"I’m a 27 year old single mother of 3 from the UK. I have had a 2 year battle with cocaine. In that time, I lost 90 percent of my family. I was in thousand and thousands of pounds worth of debt to drug dealers. I had completely and utterly lost myself. Today, not only am I clean off drugs, I’ve also kicked a 40 a day cigarette habit and I am now back in contact with all my family. Every day is a constant battle, but one that I will continue to fight!"

"I’m so proud of myself and how far I’ve came! I never thought I’d be living such a good life. Some days I think, “Is this real life?” I am able to laugh, GENUINELY laugh, without being high or drunk. It feels so good to be comfortable in my own skin. To wake up and not have to use a substance to function and go about my day.

I took life for granted and quite frankly, I am lucky to be alive. Addiction IS A DISEASE. I pray everyday for those who are still sick & suffering, for the addict that picked up for the first time, for the addict that picked up for the last time, and the babies born into this insidious disease. To my brothers and sisters in recovery, I love you and will always be here to support you.

A huge thank you to my support system for always having faith in me. To my dad, for being my right hand man and to my best friend Erin for never leaving my side and believing in me. And everyone else who supports my recovery. I love you all dearly!"

"I have been struggling with my heroin addiction for many years. Along the way, I have lost many friends. This stuff steals your soul. On the left, I was homeless on the streets of Chicago. On the right, I am 24 days clean after an overdose that, in a way, saved my life. The other guy in the photo lost his life to the disease. I am one of the lucky ones."

"Hey guys, my name is Katie and I’ve been free from meth and heroin for a year now. I’m not going to rant on about my recovery because there is too much to say. But I will say this, to any addict that is still suffering, it is SO beautiful on this side. I know the first few months are hard in the beginning, but you’ve got to push through and break those chains of addiction if you want your life back. If I can do it, you can do it. ONE WHOLE YEAR CLEAN!"

"I was battling addiction for a year and a half. I lost everything I had multiple times. I put my family through hell by being selfish. I was sleeping floor to floor, selling and doing dope. Then one day I was battling my demons and I almost took my own life. That’s when I told myself that it was enough and signed myself in to rehab August 11th, 2020. I’m ready for a new life. Tomorrow makes 30 days clean and sober for me!"

"I just wanted to take a minute and give a shoutout to my sponsee Sal. Hey buddy recovery looks good on you, keep it up!"

"This was me on the left in the thickness of my addiction. Heroin ruled my life. It took me to places I had never been and never wanted to go… it stole my personality, my freedom, my health, my family, my hope for any kind of a future.

The me on the right is today. Clean off heroin. Free from the bondage of addiction. Free and my soul shouts to God in praise and joy. God did for me what I could not do for myself.

I am not a perfect person and just because I’m clean doesn’t mean life doesn’t happen- but today, I can lean on God to guide me through every valley. I have my family in my life, I have an amazing job, I have beautiful friends. Thank you God."

"Hi! I’m Madelyn. My addiction started back when I was 16. I’m 24 now. It started with drinking, but ended with heroin. I was a junkie and a loser. I had nothing going for me except the next needle. I suffer from type 1 bipolar disorder and due to the amount of meth I’ve used I’ve developed schizophrenia.

After years of suffering and pain I decided to choose a different path. I am now mentally stable and very happy. I’m in cosmetology school and on the right medication. Recovery is possible. I didn’t want to be a junkie anymore. I didn’t want to put another needle in my arm. I didn’t want to be sad and miserable anymore. So now I’m not. I’m not saying it was easy and happened over night. You have to put the work in, but it’s sooo worth it. You don’t have to live that way anymore. The grass really is greener on the other side. I am so blessed!!"

"Hey guys. My name is Tina and I am now one year clean from meth and pills. I never thought I would even have one day clean. This life is so amazing!"

"5 years ago today: The sun rose ending the worst night of my life. I had spent the entire night in my broken down car alternately shooting meth and planning to kill myself. At some point in the night I screamed at God that IF He was real to DO SOMETHING.

I was morally bankrupt. I had crossed every line I swore I’d never cross. I had done things that to this day nobody but my sponsor and therapist know about. Things I am still ashamed of. This is the last picture I have of myself during that time period. This picture disgusts me. I would look in the mirror and didn’t know who this person was. The drugs couldn’t quiet the shame anymore. The only other option I thought I had was a sawed off shotgun in my storage unit, and I fully intended to use it.

BUT GOD! In a series of events I can only describe as miracles intervened that day! Met a random dude that was a graduate of Teen Challenge in Oakland and put his neck out there to get me in that day. (Despite no insurance and not going through their interview and acceptance procedures) Sunny Davison who had given up on me getting sober more times than I could count, vacated her day to make sure I got there, and supported me through it. Today 5 years later: I am 3 days away from starting my new job as a pastor at Clovis Hills community church."

"I’m 1 year clean from meth and adderall today, guys. I can’t believe I did it. By the Grace of a loving God, I’ve been set free."

"One year ago, I was eating out of Taco Bell’s dumpster sleeping on cardboard. I’ve been completely demoralized to the point where I’ve forced my spirit to leave my body. I take pride in knowing that pain. But I have so much more to offer to the universe. Today I have my own pillow and my own bed. I also have 11 months clean today!"

"Dear Mom, Thank you for kicking me out when I wouldn’t stop using. Thank you for never giving me money when I was dope sick . Thank you for not enabling me. Thank you for yelling at me when I wasn’t hearing you. Thank you for removing me from your life. Thank you for talking to my therapists. Thank you for the letters you wrote to me when I was in treatment.

Thank you for the phone calls you took when no one else would pick up the phone. Thank you for the prayers you said. Thank you for never lying to me. Thank you for the tears you shed. Thank you for the disappointment I saw in your eyes. Thank you for the nights I slept in a train station. Thank you for forcing me to grow up. Thank you for telling me to, “figure it out.” Thank you for being my mom. Thank you for teaching me to be a man. Thank you for not allowing me to play the victim. I see now you knew what you were doing the whole time."

"My name is Alex and today marks 3 years clean from crack and heroin. Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way. I can’t believe I made it, y’all."

"I was addicted to meth from 2013 to 2016 ended up in the hospital three different times. One it got so bad I ended on life support because my kidneys shut down. I am proud to say I’ve been clean and sober since then! We do recover!!"