This addiction recovery story of a young mother starts where a lot of people think, “It’s not that serious yet.” For Aline, it began with marijuana / weed, alcohol (getting high and drunk), and Spice / synthetic marijuana. It ended with a DUI, CPS (Child Protective Services) taking her baby, juvenile detention (juvie), jail, and a mental hospital stay. Teen substance use is still common, and for too many young people it leads to legal trouble, school problems, and family heartbreak. Aline’s journey is a true story of CPS and addiction that shows how “just getting high” can turn into losing the people you love most.
An Addiction Recovery Story of a Young Mother Begins in High School
Before she was a mom or a woman in recovery, Aline was a teenager just trying to fit in. It started in high school, where she first experimented with marijuana / weed. Getting high with friends made her feel accepted. But things escalated quickly. She was eventually expelled for marijuana and had to attend an alternative school.
Running away from home, she ended up in a meth house (where she ran away and addiction “took off”). There, drugs were everywhere. People smoked Spice / synthetic marijuana, drank heavily, and used harder substances. Aline got high and drunk on alcohol, and even though heroin (offered but did not use) was put in front of her, her real problem at that point was believing she could control any of it.
Her choices led to probation (after marijuana arrest at school), and soon she found herself in juvenile detention (juvie). Like so many teens in cities such as Phoenix, Arizona, she told herself these were just “phases.” But addiction was already reshaping her life—her friends, her education, and her sense of who she was.
A True Story of CPS and Addiction: Losing Her Child
As Aline got older, her substance use continued. She bounced between unstable relationships, parties, and constant drama. While drunk, she assaulted her boyfriend and ended up in jail (after assaulting boyfriend while drunk).
When she became pregnant, she wanted to be different, but addiction doesn’t magically disappear just because a baby is on the way. After she gave birth, the court placed her in a drug testing program / task number after childbirth to see if she could stay clean. CPS (Child Protective Services) became involved, watching closely to decide if her baby would be safe with her.
But the pull of drugs and alcohol was strong. Missed tests, dirty tests, and chaotic behavior led to a full CPS case and child removal. Her child was taken away, and Aline had to face the reality that her addiction did not just hurt her—it cost her the chance to raise her own baby. This is what makes her story a powerful true story of CPS and addiction: it shows exactly how substance use can break apart families.
DUI, Mental Hospital, and Hitting Bottom
Even losing her child wasn’t an instant cure. Aline kept using, kept drinking, and kept putting herself in danger. One night, while getting high and drunk, she was pulled over and given a DUI stop and field sobriety (“brush lighter test”). The officer had her follow the flame of a lighter with her eyes—and she failed. That DUI meant more court, more jail, and more proof that her life was out of control.
Her mental health began to crumble under the weight of guilt, shame, and addiction. She ended up in a mental hospital stay, overwhelmed and exhausted. She tried detoxing / self-detox from drugs on her own, but the withdrawals, cravings, and emotional pain were too much to manage alone.
Every direction she turned—probation, juvie, jail, the mental hospital—seemed to lead back to the same place: addiction. That realization became her breaking point and, later, her turning point.
NA, Service, and the Gifts of Recovery
Real change began when Aline walked into recovery meetings and found NA (Narcotics Anonymous). At first, she just listened. Slowly, she saw that people in NA had something she wanted: peace, stability, and hope.
She committed to a 12-step style program (meetings, sponsor, steps). She got a sponsor, started working a program (meetings, sponsor, steps, home group, being of service), and learned to be honest about her past. She took service commitments (chairing a meeting), which meant showing up early, setting up chairs, and being there for others. Service helped her feel useful again instead of broken.
Aline found a home group and people who noticed if she didn’t show up. They encouraged her through court dates, CPS meetings, and tough emotional days. She learned tools to stay clean when life got stressful—calling her sponsor, going to extra meetings, and leaning on the spiritual side of the program.
Work, Community, and Rebuilding a Life
Recovery isn’t just about not using. It’s about building a life you don’t want to escape from. Aline began giving back in ways she never imagined. She did arts and crafts with seniors in retirement homes (where she did arts and crafts with elderly residents), discovering that she could bring joy to others.
She also started working at Walmart (employer where she later became a supervisor). Over time, she earned enough trust to become a supervisor—something that would have been impossible when she was living in a meth house and cycling through juvie, jail, and the mental hospital.
Most importantly, she continued to fight for her role as a mother. The details of every CPS case are different, but her clean time, commitment to NA, and willingness to stay in recovery gave her a new identity: not just an addict with a record, but a woman in recovery and a mom who shows up.
She now shares her journey on platforms like Detox to Rehab to remind other young moms that it’s never too late to change course.
Watch Aline’s Story: From Weed & Spice to NA and Motherhood
This written summary can’t fully capture the emotion in Aline’s voice.
In the video, she talks openly about being expelled from high school, running to an alternative school and meth house, facing CPS, sitting in jail, landing in a mental hospital, and finally finding hope through NA, meetings, a sponsor, and service.
Aline’s addiction recovery story of a young mother shows that even when CPS and addiction have torn a family apart, there is still a way forward. With honest help, a strong recovery program, and a willingness to do the work, it is possible to rebuild trust, heal relationships, and create a new life—one day, one meeting, and one act of love at a time.
