Althea would joke about being an alcoholic but she never tried to stop.  She knew she was an addict when she went to treatment for the first time. Addiction was just a part of her life.  She used until she reached a point of complete desperation — when the drugs didn’t work anymore and she had no clue what to do. She knew she wanted to get clean but change, especially when it came to beating her addiction, was scary to her.

Everything in Althea’s life and mind has changed since she’s been clean. In the midst of her addiction she didn’t have people close to her to talk to nor was she particularly willing to reach out and talk to other people. Now she has a network of people that she can turn to when she’s having problems. Getting clean and using the tools that were provided to her in treatment has allowed her to deal with life’s challenges and to keep going on each day.

She knows that there are many people who go through treatment and are able to live a life beyond their wildest dreams by getting clean and staying clean. For her it was a 12-step fellowship that helped her remain clean. She understands the importance of having faith.