(WTRF) – It’s one of the most addictive substances that can be obtained on the black market. Many of us have met or know someone who has used heroin, but there are people who are taking their lives back and beating the devil’s hardest game.
In this edition of Faces of Recovery, you’ll meet someone who defied all odds and came out on top.
When many people hear of drug addicts and how they became addicted, they immediately believe the person’s childhood must have been rocky, but that’s not Amy’s case.
Amy Jackson grew up in what she describes as the best childhood ever. Which is why she stresses the disease can get a hold of anyone, and not let go.
Amy graduated high school with high honors. She describes herself as a “good kid.” At graduation, she was pregnant with her now first-born child and was planning on going to college. Soon after that is when the unimaginable happened.
Right after she was born, I had gotten into a car accident. There was a guy who was running from the police in Bridgeport and he ended up rear ending my car. It was a really bad accident. Him and his passenger died, and I got really, really hurt. And I was just put on prescription painkillers, and that’s what really kind of started the spiral.
Amy Jackson, Recovered Addict
She was on Vicodin and Percocet for a few years, when suddenly, her doctor cut her off.
It wasn’t until then, that Amy realized she was addicted. Soon, she found herself buying opioids off the streets.
It kind of lead down a big spiral where the one 5mg pill wasn’t enough. Then I needed a 30mg pill. Then that wasn’t enough and that was too expensive. That then lead to Heroin, which was the cheaper alternative. So, then that was big time spiral.
Amy Jackson, Recovered Addict
She describes the first time she put a needle in her arm as the time when her life went black.
She began stealing from family, including her sister’s jewelry on her wedding day.
Her family forced her into multiple rehabs and clinics, all of which she came up short. Then one day everything changed.
I got so sick of the everyday having to have something. The chase of something. The having to have money. The doing the awful things that I had to do to get the money. And it got so old. So, finally when I was like, “I’m done with this,” Is when I was finally able to quit.
Amy Jackson, Recovered Addict
Amy knew from a young age and dealing with Crohn’s disease, that she loved the feeling of a needle in her arm.
Although her addiction held onto her during her multiple attempts to get clean, she refused to let the devil win again.
It was like hell on Earth and I could never make it through it. It was always just so much of a pain and agony and I was just like, “I could fix this right now with just one shot. I can be better.” I could never make it through that portion of you know, once you get through this then you’re okay. Once I finally made it through that, I was like, “I’m never going to put myself through that again. I’m not going to relapse again. I’m just done.”
Amy Jackson, Recovered Addict
Amy is now seven years clean. She is married and has a great life with her two daughters and has a third on the way, something she never thought she would accomplish in a million years.
There was so many things I wanted to do with life, but I never thought I would be able to get out and be able to get over that. When I finally did, I was like, “I can get my life back.” And life can be beautiful again, but you have to want it. You have to want to work it. You have to be able to want to get out of that life. Do what you gotta do, but once you do it, it’s all worth it. You can rebuild. You can have life again.
Amy Jackson, Recovered Addict
