I started smoking weed and cigarettes when I was around 11 or 12. It was just curiosity at that point. Then in my teens, I tried ecstasy, acid and stuff like that.

It wasn’t until my early twenties that I got on opioids. I started dating a guy who was already addicted to Percocets and he introduced me to it. It was horrible. When your relationship is based on drugs, you just fight constantly. It's very toxic. It went from Percocet to Dilaudid not long after. I was sniffing initially, and then another ex-boyfriend introduced me to Dilaudid through the needle. It became a very bad addiction very quickly.

When I was really deep in addiction, I couldn't work. Addiction was my main focus. Relationships were hard to hold on to. Life was more about getting high than keeping a relationship going.

I was arrested for break, enter and theft. Thankfully it was dismissed. That was a little bit of a wake-up call. It scared me enough not to pull that stunt again.

But what really changed things for me was facing death for the millionth time. Like legit death - that or I was in the hospital. Every few months I had something: an infection, pneumonia, insanity, overdoses, trying to off myself. I broke my hand because someone stole money from me and I punched a bus shelter.

Then one day, I was having trouble breathing. I was smoking crack, and I wasn't taking care of myself. It turned out that it was a pulmonary embolism. I was hospitalized for two weeks with IV antibiotics, and I still struggle with my breathing.

My sister told me to get in touch with one of the staff members at Sophia Recovery. That was probably the biggest step that I made towards getting clean. I just realized that I couldn't keep living the way I was living.

It was scary at first because I'm a very shy person.  There were a lot of new faces. I was scared of seeing people that I knew growing up, and how they would judge me as an addict reaching out for help. I did end up running into people I knew - ​ and that was awkward. But I ended up making amends with a couple people that I had been on bad terms with because of my addiction, which was nice. It was kind of an eye-opener to see how many other women struggle with the same stuff that I did.

Now, I have 16 months clean.  I’m finding other joys in life. I got into houseplants. They are my new healthy addiction, which helps. So does having people in your life that don't turn their back on you, even when you're not the nicest person.

I feel like I'm different. I was a very timid and scared person. Now, I'm a lot more social and approachable. Life isn't as bad as it may seem. Even though there are bad days, the joy on the good days is worth it.