- Alcohol
- Drugs
by Susanne Johnson
Sheena was born and raised in Seattle, WA. She was in and out of recovery for over eight years before she made it to the treatment center where I had the pleasure of meeting her. She has been to a lot of dark places and is grateful to finally see a little light of hope in her life today.
Crack cocaine and alcohol were Sheena’s drugs of choice although she never used both at the same time. Her drug use led her to prostitution, and she became a victim of several sexual assaults and even kidnapping. She lost custody of her six-year-old daughter, who she still misses very much, and has had no contact or even a photo for over two years. She is only 32, but drugs and alcohol have taken toll on her body, Sheena suffers from bad kidneys, has lost all her teeth and her skin shows scars.
Sheena moved during some bad times and was incarcerated on possession charges. Just a few days ago, she was sent to her current program. She was impressed that the CEO of the program picked her up from jail, and even after only a few days, she considers her current program the best program she has ever experienced. She is finally getting the treatment and tools she needs to recover. She has been in jails, halfway houses and attended meetings, but this is the first time she has been in treatment. Her longest time clean and sober was nine months during her pregnancy. She really didn’t want to go to treatment after learning it would be a one-year program, but after only a few days, she has changed her mind completely. She is now very happy about this unexpected change she was offered instead of jail time.
One of Sheena’s big recovery goals is to be reunited with her daughter. Her daughter resides in Florida, and Sheena would love to go back there after her programs are finished and she has a stable life. It might take a while since she is considering a two-year program after this one to stabilize her condition. She stated, “Recovery is a lifetime decision,” and as I looked into her face, I had no doubt that she had made the right decision.