Growing Up with Drug Addiction
Tiffany grew up in a home with both of her parents living in active drug addiction. Living in an addicted household, she experienced dysfunction in every aspect of her life.
The dysfunction she lived with day in and day out resulted in her being unable to cope with emotions. At the age of 14 or 15, Tiffany started drinking and smoking weed on a regular basis. She ended up dropping out of high school and doing online school instead.
Explaining her adolescent years, she talks about being unable to find her place in life. No matter where she went, Tiffany never left like she belonged. Her feelings of low self-worth, combined with her binge drinking patterns as a teenager, only led her deeper into the grasp of addiction.
PTSD and Addiction
As a teenager, Tiffany found herself at the ‘wrong place wrong time.’ One night, she got herself into a situation where she ended up being shot; that night she also lost her cousin. Losing her cousin—her best friend—left Tiffany trapped in grief.
With the experiences from her childhood to adulthood, Tiffany had developed PTSD. Sharing about how she managed living with PTSD, Tiffany states that she used drugs to cope.
Over the course of about 3 years, Tiffany’s Alcohol and drug addiction progressed intensely. At first, she started with just drinking; with time, her drinking turned into Cocaine use, only to progress into using Meth.
Drug Court or Jail
During this time, Tiffany was struggling to get on her feet and function as a productive human, she paid a visit to her probation officer. As she sat down in the chair and her probation officer asked her how she was doing, everything just poured out.
She explains that she was unprepared for what happened that day and that she had not planned to open-up and disclose everything to her probation officer. “My addicted mind was still trying to keep going.”
Tiffany tells us how that day she had her moment of surrender.
She explains that she finally surrendered to the fact that her life was broken, saying that “I was shattered in every way.” Being offered a solution by her probation officer of jail or a drug court screening.
Agreeing to be screened for drug court, Tiffany spent a few days in jail waiting. Tiffany was released from jail to a woman who was not only in recovery but the owner of recoveryhomes. From that day, tiffany’s recovery from addiction began.
Breaking Free from Addiction
Fearful, but willing Tiffany committed to a 6-month long recovery program. In the program, she learned that she can no longer live, moment to moment and for instant gratification. Her journey into recovery from drug addiction forced her to live in the mindset of one day at a time.
Meeting the requirements of Drug Court, Tiffany managed to stay quite busy. Drug Court compliance meant that she had to attend at least one meeting every day and go to a few weekly IOP classes.
In addition to meetings and IOP, Tiffany had to job search and write down every hour of her day for submission to and approval from the probation officer. Tiffany’s job search landed her a full-time job. When she reached her 90-day mark in recovery, she decided to go to school and pursue her education full-time as well.
Today, Tiffany lives a beautiful life in recovery from addiction. Her journey through addiction to recovery has awarded her with a daughter as well as a lasting and stable relationship with her family.
However, relationship mending and building is not all she has received from recovery. By committing to change and a life in recovery has given Tiffany happiness, joy and best of all, clarity-of-mind.
If you’re someone who is living with an addiction to Alcohol and/or drugs, there is a way out. To talk with someone who understands and can help, call (866)578-7471. Addiction doesn’t have to run every aspect of your life, you can get your life back and recovery is possible.
