- Drugs
- Faith
I dedicate my story to my beloved girls Bonnie, Nicole and Jacquie Marie. They are my heart and soul!
I am a retired bounty hunter and a daughter of a law enforcement officer. I grew up in good surroundings and wasn’t an addict or an alcoholic. Twenty-two years ago I became a single mother, a working mother and a bounty hunter, so I was never home. My daughter started using, cutting and running away from home. I was devastated. She was my only child, and I couldn’t reach her no matter what I did. No matter how much I stuck by her side or how much I tried to prove that I loved her, nothing worked.
It only got worse, until one day I was seriously injured at work. I became permanently disabled due to ten crushed disks in my lower back, and doctors automatically put me on fentanyl patches. I was taking 125mgs every 3 days plus Percocet every 4 to 6 hours, Soma tablets 4 times a day and Valium at bed time. As time went on the prescriptions became stronger, as I was building a tolerance to them. I found I liked the high they provided, because it allowed me to function but not feel. I was trying to deal with my daughter and my troubled relationship with my own mother, while doctors told me I would never be able to function like a normal person again. I was in a deep state of depression.
As time went on I found myself becoming addicted to stronger drugs like Dilaudid. I became addicted in 2007, and in July 2013 I was baptized. Before I was baptized, I took a walk along the beach and talked to God. I told him I didn’t want to be like this anymore. I had almost lost my life three times because of overdosing, and I was tired of being in this dark place. On August 20th I was going to take my pain medications as always, but I looked at the bottle and said, “No more.” I threw the bottle back in the cupboard, and later that day I flushed all my pills down the toilet and began my journey to recovery.
I quit cold turkey by God’s good grace and healing powers. I am now 110 days clean and going strong. Less than 30 days after I asked for God’s help, he graced me and answered my prayers. He has made me even stronger than before, and I am grateful for that as is my daughter who is now clean too. Thank you, Father.