I recently celebrated six years clean and sober. How is it possible that the before photo was really me at one time.?
I can’t believe I’ve made it this far. I remember getting arrested that morning six years ago like it was yesterday. I was so lost and so broken. I was only a shell of a person… because everything inside me had died.
My husband and I were living in a roach-infested motel – high on every drug we could get our hands on. We had lost everything we had… including custody of our daughter.
We always talked about our hopes and dreams, and how one day we would get her back and get clean, but when you are lost in that dark hole it seems there will never be an end.
That morning of my arrest there was loud banging on the door— which we knew could only be one thing.
The warrant officer’s were there to take me in, and I immediately knew I wouldn’t be getting out of jail any time soon, because I had too much I had to answer for.
Two days later, surprisingly, my husband had actually packed up everything in that nasty motel room, stayed the night at his mothers … and the next morning decided to go to rehab.
I ended up getting eight months in jail. At this point I had been to at least 20 different rehabs, and been locked up at least 30 times. I had been running the streets for well over 10 years, but this time… Something was different. I actually took the time to focus on myself instead of all of the drama and crap going on in and out of the jail.
My husband completed rehab, moved into a halfway house, got a job and started creating a relationship with our daughter.
By the time I was released, he had a cute little place for us to move in to, and our daughter was waiting with him to pick me up the morning I was released Aug. 9th, 2012.
This is where the real work started. Since my husband and I already had the dynamics of using together, the odds of us getting clean together were less than 1% … So we didn’t stand a very good chance.
One day at a time we worked together; and as it turns out, we both really did want the same thing. Some how, some way, that feeling of wanting to use was lifted. I chased visitation with my daughter like I chased my drugs. My husbands parents had custody of our daughter, and slowly, we earned rights. It didn’t happen overnight, we had to prove ourselves and I was ready to do that.
In 2013 We got custody of our daughter back…
There have been so many wonderful things that have happened since then. There have been ups and downs… But I never used again.
Today is such a gift. I have re-established relationships with people that I thought were forever lost, and I’m closer than ever with my family. In fact, I actually had a big family reunion at my home in 2015 …The same year my husband and I welcomed a healthy baby boy.
I have worked hard and finally overcome the demons inside me that led me to that awful place to begin with.
I’m sharing this in hopes that this will touch somebody…and if they are in the same place that I was, or if you know somebody that is in active addiction, change is possible.
There was a time where people didn’t even want to stand next to me in line at the store, and now people actually like me and want to be around me.
If a low-down, dirty, former junkie like me can change… Anybody can do it.
I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams. Oh, and My husband and I will be celebrating 10 years of marriage this year.
Thanks for listening and letting me share.
An AMAZING Life After Addiction IS Possible… We Are Proof!
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Congratulations Ambree, I am happy for you.
Bree , I’am so proud of you and Brad , You two are amazing .
I love your family and hope to spend more time with you.
You two have just begun a knew life ahead of you and I know you’ll do awesome ! I love to see your happiness along with all your accomplishment ‘s ! I love you more than you know your cousin ,Lisa ??
I am an EMT FIRE FIGHTER for the town I live in. I revive people every day sometimes the same ones in the same day. I get spit at, swing at and screamed at for “ruining their high”. I am often asked “how can you be so nice and calm”. The truth is. … I truly don’t get frustrated. I get sad, yes. I only hope that maybe one person is listening to me and trusts me that I am helping them. Not trying to spoil the high. I honestly DO care. Somethings it is heartbreaking. Sometimes I get frustrated. However I keep fighting the fight. I will never give up on saving a life. Your stories help me know that MAYBE the words of kindness I give to someone who is struggling with addiction ARE going to make a difference. Thank you
Nicole.
* I meant to say I truly dont get angry ….
typo. Sorry
You said you don’t get frustrated at the beginning and that you do her frustrated towards the end of your comment. Id appreciate the perspective of an emt if you don’t mind clarifying what you said?
Are serious…..she said she dont get frustrated when people treat her like crap and the the whole situation frustrates her…..because she is a perzon fighting to save lives and she sees exactly what the drugs are doing….,Thank YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR STORY IT REALY GIVES US HOPE THAT THE ONES WE HAVE LOST CAN TRUELY MAKE IT .JUST LIKE YOU DID.AND THANK YOU FOR NOT GIVING UP ON THE FIGHT!
Stop nitpicking her thoughts…if you can’t understand what she said you have no compassion to ever understsnd..she should not have to justify..maybe get out there and try and save a life yourself then May be you will understand…
You said you don’t get frustrated at the beginning and that you do get frustrated towards the end of your comment. Id appreciate the perspective of an emt if you don’t mind clarifying what you said?
Omg. Reading this brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for helping those who can not help themselves. Addiction sucks. It truly sucks. You are a special person for treating these folks like humans, instead of garbage.
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This is amazing and gives me really great hope! Congratulations. Im on a downward spiral I feel like. I’m scared but I know I can do it. Thank you for sharing.
Praying for ya….and WITH GOD, YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS YOU CAN DO IT….CALL ME ANYTIME TO HELP YOU ON ME AND ILL GIVE YOU MY NUMBER IF YOU WANT !!!
This is one story, out of all of them, Really touched me the most. Congraulations on creating a beautiful life?
That truly is a beautiful recovery. Congratulations to you & your husband’s accomplishments! After staying together through all of that, there’s nothing that can tear y’all apart! You just gave me hope for me & my fiance. He helped me get clean but now he’s fallen. Intervention tomorrow, I hope the man I fell in love with, comes back to me soon.
Awesome job Ambree!!! You look amazing! What a inspiring story…
You make it sound so easy! Unfortunitely I’ve had slips and had to back track more times then I can count. I cant even be in active addiction the “right” way let alone recovery. Its so hard for most of us (or maybe just me) to abruptly stop and be successful without hardship. You’re so lucky that you were able to get it together and that the desire to use just miraculously disappeared. I sincerely congratulate you. And I’m so jealous!
Way to GO! These are the stories I live for! You are gorgeous and God is proud of your sobriety! amen!
So happy to hear this. There is hope, you just have to want it and work for it. So happy for you and your family. Keep up the good work.
This is the story of my niece and every bit is true. She /they caught hatd and no it wasn’t easy. But it happened and both those pictures ARE her. It was hard to see her so lost but I and the feat of the family couldn’t be prouder. She realizes it’s a conscious effort every single day to be sure this GOOD stays! Love you Ambree
Auto correction grr
They fought hard
I and The family couldn’t be prouder
You are so blessed that your husband got sober when you did. This is a wonderful, inspirational story and I thank you so much for sharing! ??
I am fighting very much so to get my copy of High Achiever into the addicted hands of my son, who is in jail again. This time he violated Parole by going to RAVs and such out of County and state. Posting to Social media these things and others. He has such a non inclusive *clientele* that he didn’t know who the leak was–but did believe it wasn’t me because he blocked me from anything he didn’t tag me in and my daughter confirmed this in front of him just before going in. Fast fwd a few more failed worsening drug tests and PO decided ok we have enough and he called me and I called her. I had tried to talk him into rehab weeks before but as we know, it’s not the time until they are ready. I found a bed in a place that accepted his insurance and everything 1.5 hrs away. So after talking to her- -and we discussed the placement of choice for that County is a high failure rate facility but easy 45 days and out known to those in- she found us a place further away. Better treatment rate with remission readmit program. Went to visit him this weekend and he’s going through DTs and said no one here has heard of this place , please research and mail me info. I mailed him only what he asked. Nothing more or less. It’s a medium Security intense treatment SHOCK type prison with 480 male beds. He will lose all hair. There are so many things he will lose, including his ability to have visits from anyone not approved. I went to a fund raising yard sale on the way through our home town for a dog park. Met a beautiful recovered addict who reached out to me when I told her why we came back so far to visit by saying- People, Places and Things. Tell your son to keep this in the back of his brain forever. It will be something he always needs to remember. She hit home. I emailed her. Only been 2 days and she’s a LLR consultant so once she hits my email, I am confident she will get back to me. If we didn’t have to get back to work for my daughter — I would have stayed there chatting forever.
I can’t send the book, yet. Waiting on a response from corrections when I can because of content.
Thanks for being my inspiration. There is more to this story- -but once again- could go on for awhile.
This is a we program and we can have what we get by giving it away. I’m so proud of you sug. Recovery is where it’s at. Many blessings coming your way love bug.