Hi! My name is Kimberly, and this is my recovery story.
I was 12 years old when I first used substances. I had a happy childhood for the most part, though my parents divorced when I was 7. Looking back, I can see how life slowly started to change in ways I didn’t understand at the time.
By my early teens, my addiction progressed quickly. By 15, I had already been through inpatient treatment at Pathways and several outpatient programs. I would go to treatment, try to start over, and leave still struggling. Nothing seemed to stick. It became a cycle of treatment, relapse, and starting over again.
By 18, my addiction had fully taken hold. I remember asking my dad to come get me or I would leave with a friend. He came and got me, but I was already losing control. I had my own trailer at one point, and later even bought a townhouse—but eventually lost both, along with everything else. I became homeless and was living out of a hotel. My parents had to set boundaries and would only allow me to come by for a meal before leaving. At the time, I didn’t understand it, but today I know it was one of the most loving things they could have done. They could no longer enable my addiction.
At 21, I got clean on my own and stayed sober for nearly four years. For the first time, I believed life could be different. But addiction is powerful, and I eventually relapsed and found myself back in treatment again.
At 26, I became a mother to twin boys. They became my heart and my reason, even when I wasn’t fully able to stay on the path yet. After treatment, I moved into a recovery house. Three months later, I became the house manager after the previous manager relapsed. I stayed there for almost three years and began to truly understand recovery.
After about four years clean, I relapsed again and spent several more years in active addiction. I lost homes, vehicles, and irreplaceable memories, including my baby albums. Eventually, I reached a point where I knew I couldn’t live that way anymore.
I entered another recovery house while still using and was given one week to get clean. I chose to fully surrender. I changed my people, places, and things. I stopped trying to control everything and decided I wanted recovery more than anything else. I got clean - and I have stayed clean ever since. My clean date is January 27, 2021.
Recovery didn’t happen because of one moment. It happened through a series of choices, honesty, and finally letting go.
In November 2025, I entered the recovery field as a Behavioral Health Technician (BHT), and in June 2026 I became an Alumni Coordinator. Now I get to walk alongside others who are finding their way in recovery.
Even with over six years clean, life still isn’t perfect. My credit is still rebuilding, I rent a vehicle that is extremely expensive, I went through four and a half years of custody battles, and I lost both a trailer and a townhouse I once owned. But life is still better than waking up sick every single day.
I also know I can’t do this alone. I have one best friend, Lexi, and several close friends from work who support me in recovery. You have to surround yourself with people you want to become.
Recovery looks different for everyone. For me, it came after loss, growth, relapse, and surrender. The past will always be part of my story—but it no longer defines me. One day at a time, a new life became possible.
