Former Drug Addicts Share Their Recovery Stories (29 PICS)

""How about that for motivation? I honestly thought I'd die on a park bench with a needle in my arm or by gunshot to the head. I would've never in a million years thought my life would look the way it does today.

Stop selling yourself short. You don't know what tomorrow might bring so you might consider starting today.""

"My story isn’t uncommon. Several surgeries led to a raging opiate pain medication addiction that ruled my world for 12 years. I watched my entire life burn to the ground around me and everything I loved disappear.

I wanted to get clean but couldn’t stand the withdrawal. It took over a decade to realize that I could get clean, I just couldn’t get clean and be comfortable at the same time.

2/23/2016 was the last time I used opiates. There’s so much happiness in sobriety. Much love"

"Five years ago today, I knew the war was over. The drugs had won, and I had lost.... everything.

I surrendered and chose recovery. I found a new way to live. Thank you God for this beautiful life.

We can and we do recover."

"My name is Jess and I am an addict. I struggled with meth for 5 years. I thought I had no hope. I destroyed my body for a peace of mind I never got. But God seen fit to pull me out of the darkness and I have been sober since December 19, 2019. I get to live a life I never dreamed was possible for me! Life is so beautiful today and I’m even grateful for my past because I can use it to help other women recover! I went from “I want to die” to “let me show you another way of life!”

Thank you for letting me share my story!"

"Want to see the miracles God can perform? Just look at the proof in these pictures!

Years of addiction, homelessness and pain! Now, 4 months of recovery and Jesus!"

"My husband and I went to middle school together and very briefly dated after high school. We both had an addict parent and were party kids. Though we went many years without talking we both continued to grow in our addictions; becoming chained to heroin as well as meth. The photo of me in the hospital was my sixth overdose in five months. The mugshot of my husband was for distributing methamphetamines as well as for stealing. BUT GOD. Our paths were directed to Christian rehab programs that we both completed. And even though we lived in different places we both both ended up at an NA meeting in the same town we went to middle school together. We have now been married 8 months and have a beautiful 3 month old baby. If the two of us can get sober, anyone can. Thank you @theaddictsdiary for spreading awareness and for allowing us to share our story

Galatians 6:9 - Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

"Recovery: a return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength.

I started with my first sip of alcohol at the age of 9, which turned into daily drinking at the age of 16 or 17. I hid behind the bottle in search of any sort of answer at the bottom. For 11 long long years, and drinking whatever I could get my hands on, including mouthwash and Nyquill, I hit rock bottom many times.

I hurt and broke many relationships with close friends and family. Personal relationships. Years and years of building gone. My self esteem was gone and everything I thought of life was nothing but a joke. My life was a joke. Over 110k spent on alcohol and multiple car accidents and life flight and much more; I kept going. That didn’t stop me. I wanted to keep suppressing the feelings of my past.

Addiction is an ugly thing. It effects people from all walks of life, all countries around this world. Some you may never even know. People can mask it to the point you could never tell they were under the influence.

I let God show me my actions were my own personal choice. I chose to suppress it but he never left my side. Every day I thank The Good Lord for keeping me here one more day to be an example. I cheated death one too many times and I’m not proud of what I have done in my past.

Today is promised but tomorrow is never guaranteed is what I go by. Improve yourself and never stop to be a better person. 7 and 1/2 months sober, longest since I started.

Check in on your friends, becasue sometimes when people are in that distorted state of mind or under the influence, all they want is someone to be there for them. Don’t fuel the fire, but suppress the fire and eventually put it out."

"My name is Brittney and I have 3 years 7 months and 5 days clean and sober. I went from a homeless junkie that lost her kids and everything she ever lived and owned to a severe meth addiction.

I turned my will and my life over on October 12th, 2017. I am now a full-time single mother, a full-time student, an alcohol and drug counselor, homeowner, dog, and cat mom, and the biggest advocate to those still struggling. We do recover!"

"My name is Isaiah Miller. Growing up the only thing I ever wanted to be was a professional wrestler. Wrestling was everything to me. After turning 16 in 2014 I found a wrestling training academy and was able to get my foot in the door of the pro wrestling business. (The first picture is of me sweeping out the ring during a show, the first time I'd ever been in a wrestling ring) Ever since then I wanted to be the champion of Pinfall Wrestling Association

Unfortunately a few months went by and my family moved from the area I was training at and we went back to our home town. There I was surrounded by synthetic marijuana and eventually started to use it. I was hooked. Getting high became my priority. Wrestling was still heavy on my mind but the sweet innocent Isaiah everyone knew became a addict, Willing to steal for his next high. It got to the point going a whole day of school because unmanageable. The sweats and sickness became to much. I dropped out in April 2016 after telling myself I would never do it.

After a couple attempts to get clean and move away I always found myself coming back. The days became the same, going one of two ways. Either feeling like death, fighting, arguing, feening for spice,or smoking it then consistently passing out through out the whole day as time passes by until one day something came over me. The life style wasn't for me anymore. The high wasn't fun anymore. March 21st 2017 I moved away with a friend I trained with in 2014 and began training again leaving behind my addiction.

After a year of training I became a professional wrestler. I became IJ Sweet. On April 17th 2021 I became the PWA Regional Heavyweight Champion.

I don't regret anything I've done in my life. I grew and learned so much from my addiction from the consequences of drug use but also the value of time. I went from wasting my days passed out high to living out a childhood dream.

Thank you all who took time to read my story. I hope it can help at least one person."

"I didn’t know I would lose it all. I wasn’t expecting to hit the bottom as hard and for as long as I did. I didn’t plan to lose my family, my sanity, my self respect and dignity. After a time, I did expect to lose my life, and I was OK with that.

And then it changed… I found a way out and latched on with everything I had. Today I have a beautiful family. I have my daughter back and gained a step daughter. I get to use my experience to help people today. If you think you’re too far gone, that you can’t do it- think again. The journey is long and the mountain is high, but one step at a time… keep climbing.

A beautiful life awaits you at the top"

"I’m Mariana, 26, the before pic was when I was still injecting myself with up to a gram and a half of heroin and meth every single day. I spent two years this way. Two. The before pic was taken 300 days ago. Look at what 300 days clean has done for me now. Sobriety is absolutely hard, emotional, Lonely, exhausting physically and mentally draining and absolutely pushes you to limits you never knew you had. You will want to give up every second of every day, you will face your demons head on, sometimes winning and sometimes losing. And You know what? Every single moment is f**king worth it, when for the first time in so long you get to see and feel the beauty of life again, you get to see and feel the beauty of YOU again. I promise. If you are struggling, Please don’t give up. Take it one day at a time. That’s all. Just know that there truly is greener grass, but it only gets greener once you start and continue maintaining it properly everyday. You got this. We got this."

"My name’s Angela & I used call myself a junkie. My addiction lasted 13 years, and during that time I lost absolutely everything and everyone I love; including my 3 children. Today I’m celebrating almost 3 years clean. My children are now grown up, and one has a beautiful child of his own . They’ve since forgiven me, and we’re very close. Our relationship is finally that of mother and child. It hasn't been easy, and sometimesis still very hard

For me, recovery didn’t happen overnight, but it DID happen. That terrible, lonely, empty place inside my heart is whole once again. I’m so proud my children are back in my life, and that they know how incredibly fortunate I am. I have the most beautiful Granddaughter who I’ve been grateful to spend the last 3 years building an incredible bond with. She may have saved me. I now own my own vehicle, have a beautiful home, a good job and am in college for chemical dependency. I know it’s terribly cliché, but I really was “sick & tired of being sick & tired” , and if you are too, please try to get help. Our children grow up way too fast. I was able to make it happen. So can you. I’m sharing this picture because I want anyone who’s still out there sick and suffering to know your never to far from a different life. I’m not ashamed of this picture or the judgment that may come with it because it may save a life. That same person in that picture gave me the strength to be the person I am today"