When looking back at her addiction, Samantha can clearly see its progression, which accelerated at a fast clip. From the age of sixteen to twenty-four she had been to treatment centers across the US, including Florida and Washington, D.C. Samantha never really put in a hundred percent during her time in treatment. She would try to change for a very small amount of time but the actions she was taking always led her back to the only life that she knew how to live.

For a period of time Samantha stayed away from heroin. She had the false idea that as long as she didn’t put a needle back in her arm, she would be okay. She didn’t realize that when she put anything into her body, she reacted differently, and eventually, over time, she was going to return back to the daily hell and insanity that came with her addiction. By 2013 Samantha was a mother of two and still not fully aware of the severity of her life of addiction. That period would prove to be turbulent as she was abusing at a hardcore rate and manipulating her family to pay her bills. These series of events would culminate into one singular incident that she’s still dealing with today.

After fighting her addiction for a few weeks Samantha made the decision to just let go and get help.  Heading west for 60 days of treatment Samantha was finally  able to get honest about her situation. For the first time in her life she was able to truly see how she had been living her life and address what was going on in her head.

For the first time Samantha tried to look at her life and be proactive in trying to change it.  She took suggestions and decided to stay in Nevada after she completed treatment — getting a sponsor, doing service work and being open in sober living. She began to feel that it was worth staying sober and using life. And though she knows it’s going to take awhile because of her past decisions, today she is extremely satisfied with the one simple decision to try and go in the right direction.