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.

Hunter went from the psych ward at 19 to a police officer. Today he celebrates 6 years sober. Way to go Hunter!

Hi my name is Jacquelyn and I’m a former IV Meth Addict that has 3 years clean today!

Hi! My name is Brittany and I started this recovery journey 16 months ago. After 27 overdoses, God felt that I was worth keeping around. A life that I never thought I deserved.

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 was on meth for exactly a year. I started at 120 lbs, but I got down to 70lbs. I went into a psychosis multiple times. I would stay awake for days or weeks and would not eat. I ended up in the hospital twice. I shaved my head and my face was a mess. My mental health was horrendous. Thankfully, in a psychosis, my mom called the cops on me. That was exactly what I needed. Today, I am one year and 8 months sober. I am back up to 115 pounds. I feel better than I ever have. You can sink pretty low in a year’s time but you can also rise up higher than you ever thought possible in the same amount of time.

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!

So yesterday I graduated from nursing school! It was a surreal moment for my son and I. I’m here to tell you that you can do anything in recovery. At 19 years old I decided to reach out for help and take my life back from drugs. I worked on staying sober and focused on treating my depression. My plan is to work in the mental health field and help those who are just like me. I’m not looking back anymore, I’m looking forward.

The picture on the left is 2018, full blown IV heroin and meth addiction. The picture on the right is now. Today, I celebrate one year clean. God is so good and life is so beautiful on the other side.

This is my daughter, Bradie. In active addiction, at the age of 18, she contracted endocarditis from her drug use and had to have open heart surgery by 19. She is now 21 and sober for 11 months! My prayers have been answered!

After 20 years of struggling with addiction I finally got my life back. This is what 11 months clean looks like! Never give up hope.

Attention everyone! My boy Prashant in Nepal has seven months sober today and he asked to be posted on The Addicts Diary. So, since he worked his ass of in Nepal to get sober where there isn’t a ton of support for recovering addicts we’re going to post him. Congratulations Prashant!

My name is Jonah, When I was 16 On March 8th, 2009 my brother passed away from a drug and alcohol overdose. I promised myself I would never use hardcore drugs ever, and I despised them and anyone who used them. But without realizing it, before my eyes I ended up on pills, then pills turned to heroin and heroin turned to fentanyl. And I had to throw cocaine and Xanax in the mix as well. I thoroughly believed there was no way out and that I was in too deep, that I couldn’t recover. On January 10th, 2020 I went to detox, I ended up in a county-run facility here in Miami. I didn’t want to go, because I heard about this place from people in the other rehab I went to and I thought I was too good for it. But in reality, I wasn’t too good for anything at that time. All I knew was I needed to change because I am still in my 20s and I cannot imagine suffering for the rest of my life, so I became willing. On January 15th, 2020 I entered rehab. I became heavily involved in The fellowship and my perspective changed about many things. By the grace of God, I am one year sober!

A little over a year ago, Mighty Ducks goalie Shaun Weiss was being ridiculed all over the internet for his struggles. Today, he celebrates one year sober. Why don’t you make THAT go viral!

My name is Carl and I am 27 years old. I started experimenting with drugs at the age of 13. I was born to a hardworking and honest family. In my 14 year battle with addiction, it brought me to the point of death multiple times but I always somehow managed to survive. However, I only physically survived. It didn’t compare to the spiritual anquish and what I felt like at the time was my spiritual death. I was broken completley. Completley sick. I remember waking up at times and wondering how I was still here and even being angry about it at times. The problem was I knew I didn’t want to live like that. I wanted to live the way I knew deep down I was capable of living, but I didn’t know how to apply it. During my battle of addiction I suffered depression, anxiety, two open heart surgeries that were caused by congestive heart failure and undoubtedly my drug use, hemorrhaged kidneys, multiple seizures, multiple hospitalizations, and overdoses. I was involuntarily admitted to two psychiatric hospitals and attempted seeking redemption at three rehabs. The problem with all that I suffered through during that time period was that none of the pain that occurred during it was comparable to the spiritual agony I was going through. One day I awoke in an abandoned house, withdrawing and looking at my surroundings. I had something that I call a miracle — others call it a spiritual awakening or a moment of clarity. I decided that day I was going to do whatever it takes to not have to live or feel like this, so I entered my third treatment center. I went this time with something I had never experienced before. A open mind and an open heart. I was ready. Sick and tired of being sick and tired as we say. I did whatever I had to do and on October 29th I was released from rehab with the same goal. I was no longer asking why. I knew that even if my purpose was to just help one person fight their way out. That person could change the life of millions and so on. I hope my story changes the mind of at least one of us still suffering and gives them the courage to step up fight and start living. You can, we can, and we do recover.

Today I am 5 years sober and free from alcohol and drugs. I am a singer/songwriter from County Down in Northern Ireland and up until 5 years ago, I was lost in addiction. On January 2nd, 2016, I stood on stage going through the motions. I had come to the edge and decided that I wasn’t going to live like this anymore. A few days before my epiphany, I had found out that my daughter was fighting her own battle. In late 2015, we found out she had been self-harming and had developed a voice in her head telling her to end her own life. This is what urged me to turn away from the cliff and be there for my daughter. The only way I could do this was to be clean and have a clear mind to face what was to come. Fast forward 5 years and we are both healing every day. We have both become the best versions of ourselves. She saved me from me by going through her own hell and in return I saved her. They say God works in mysterious ways, well I can tell you he does. He can show you the way but you’ve got to stop being selfish and work hard at it. In 5 short years I have passed my driving test, climbed a mountain with my father, written and released my first album ‘Happy Being Free.’ Life is good, life is possible, and you are worth it.

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!

On the left picture I was lost and desperately addicted to drugs. Caught up in the horrific lifestyle that goes along with drugs. I thought I was a monster and that there was no hope for me. The only way I saw out was killing myself. Exactly what the enemy, Satan, and the devil wanted. But God, all mighty, all powerful, perfect, loving, and gracious, had bigger better plans for me. He reached down and wrapped his arms around me in that moment where I was shattered and saw no way out of the misery. It was when I recognized my need for a savior that my life changed and transformed so drastically.

Good morning everyone my name is Courtney and I’m an addict. I know there hasn’t been a whole lot of good news in the world lately but today I am 20 months sober!

Hey everyone my name is Tom and a little over a year ago in a drug induced stupor I cracked my forehead, broke both of my eye sockets, my nose, my cheekbones and two of my teeth. It was then that I decided I finally had enough. Today, I am one year clean and sober. Can I get an amen?

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!

Tomorrow I will have 4 months clean, some may think that’s not long but mentally, emotionally and physically this is by far the happiest and healthiest I’ve been. I had 1 year clean on March 13th last year and a couple days after that day, I relapsed. Looking back on that year clean I had, I didn’t even feel clean. I hated myself still, I was SO depressed and so low mentally. Heroin and meth had ahold of me and my life. Constant relapses, multiple treatment centers, homeless, jail time, rock bottom, weighing 85 lbs, nothing made me want to stop. My last treatment was a few months ago, I got out on 8/11 and wasn’t long before I had a needle in my arm yet again. My family finally had enough and kicked me out, I was back on the streets, couch hopping, staying wherever I could find for that night as long as they had dope. The last day I used was 9/11. 9/10 I overdosed in my friends room, the last thing I remember is sticking a needle in my arm. I didn’t believe him when he was crying and telling me I wasn’t waking up and he didn’t think I was going to. I was out for a minute and God was with me. The next day, I don’t know much, but I do know I woke up that day and I knew something needed to change and I made that change happen, by myself. I had no help, no support, nothing. My family was done with me at that point. Today, I’m about to be 4 months clean, living in a new city, my own place, a brand new beautiful place for that, I’m happy, I just got the best puppy in the world, an amazing job, and I finally feel like I’m heading somewhere in life. Some people see where I’m at and tell me I’m lucky, this isn’t luck. This didn’t happen over night and it sure as hell wasn’t given to me, this is experience, pain and struggle and I had to go through some real shit to get where I am now. Everyday I wake up and all I can do is continue to put one foot in front of the other. There is a better way of living and it is possible! Recovery is about recovering from the false identity you created with substances that wasn’t really you.

I am overjoyed and eternally grateful that on December 18th, 2019, I decided that no longer will I lay at rock bottom and wait for a trap door to open for me. I had a life changing moment of clarity. Now I’ve seen the BEST parts of my life! Today, I have a whole year of sobriety, peace, self-worth, love, understanding, and tolerance. I just wanted to let my story be heard and show anyone out there that this is possible. Heroin took everything from me, but it has also taught me how strong I am. We do recover!

The Addict's Diary My name is Destini and I am 28 years old. I am a mother with a 6 year old daughter and, a 3 year old son. My mother is writing this for me because I no longer can do things like this for myself. I was once like you. Young, beautiful, curious and invincible. March 15th, 2018 after numerous attempts at trying to get clean, and numerous jail stays, I finally paid my final price. An overdose caused me to have 10 to 12 strokes on my brain. That’s the news my family received. A 2% chance of me waking up from a coma. If I did wake up what would be my quality of life? Would I even have any? The doctors tried to get them to give up, but they didn’t. A partial craniectomy was performed on me to accommodate the swelling on my brain. It worked. I survived. Today, I am 90% blind. I cannot walk unassisted. I need help with everyday tasks, and my short term memory is non-existent. I hope after reading this you’ll make better choices than I did. If only I had known when I was younger how WRONG I was. Heroin destroyed my life. My children no longer have their mother. My mother no longer has her daughter. My baby sister no longer has her role model. I no longer recognize myself. This drug took everything from me. Don’t let this demon conquer you! Slay it before it leaves you like it left me, or worse. I pray my story saves at least one life. I hope you’ll tell my story to your children, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. I believe God saved me for a reason.

If I can go from waking up in puddles of my own urine 3-5 days a week to waking up every day and going for a run, then so can you. I learned that I was worth a beautiful life and guess what — so are you!