Many people find it hard to believe that someone can't just put down drugs if it becomes a problem. Those who suffer from substance dependence are looked at as weak or uninterested in helping themselves. Unfortunately, this negative stigma surrounding addiction is alive and well in the United States. This sentiment doesn't jive with the fact that addiction is considered a diagnosable psychological illness in the community of clinical psychologists.
Regardless of what naysayers think, people are struggling with addiction as we speak, and it is a horrible situation. In fact, many — but not all — people make it through the awful journey that is addiction and have come out on top. The stories of these individuals and their road to recovery are the basis of the current collection of 10 photos showing the before and after images of drug addiction.
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Deaths resulting from overdoses have increased substantially over the last several decades in the United States.
This graphic shows how different counties across the United States fare with respect to overdose deaths. In an incredibly informative piece written by theNew York Times, they discuss how nearly every county in the country has experienced an increase in overdose deaths. They cite that the largest contributors to these deaths were prescription medications and heroin (an opiate).
To put things further into perspective, 23.5 million people above the age of 12 sought treatment for illicit drug or alcohol abuse in 2009. That is roughly 9.3% of all people aged 12 or older.
Amidst the destruction that is the drug epidemic in America, people make it through. Here are some of those individuals who won the battle to live again.
1. Kristine (27 years old) - five-year addiction to meth and opiates.
Kristine said that her addiction to opiates and meth began when she started trying them with her ex-boyfriend. When asked how she financed her drug habit, she told the website Recovery.org that it was "mostly theft or schemes perpetrated with my ex" that paid for her habit.
Kristine had her children taken away from her, an event that ultimately led to her seeking sobriety. Kristine also explained that being "very religious" has helped her in sobriety. She is one year clean.
2. Toni (25 years old) - seven-year addiction to opiates.
Toni tried meth at 14 years old but at 16 became addicted to pills after being seen by a doctor for a painful skin condition. Toni described her initial contact with drugs, saying, "I did drugs from an early age and I can honestly say I was an 'instant-addict.' I loved it. I needed it. It was the only thing that ever made me feel complete and calm. It was the only time I felt I could function. It was the only way I would even want to be alive."
After several unsuccessful trips to rehab and contemplating suicide, she got clean. "I had no other choice. I had to or I was going to die." She is two years clean.
3. Jessica (24 years old) - six-year addiction to alcohol and opiates.
Jessica began drinking alcohol at the age of 14. She said, "I tried it at parties and stuff like that. I just wanted to because everyone else said it was fun I suppose." She realized the extent of her addiction when her children were taken away from her.
Jessica says that the biggest forces keeping her sober are "My kids and my family." She is three years clean.
4. Chelsea (25 years old) - seven-year addiction to opiates.
Chelsea first tried drugs when she was 13 and eventually tried opiates. This addiction progressed so much that she went through in-jail treatment for addiction several times. "Each time I just went back to jail and started from day one again," she said.
Forced rehab eventually got her off of drugs. She is 10 months clean.
5. Christie (34 years old) - 10-year addiction to opiates.
At 16, Christie experimented with a number of drugs including acid, meth, coke, Xanax, and pain pills. Her addiction to pain pills progressed from taking them by mouth to crushing them and snorting them. Her addiction ramped up when she then began injecting them.
A family intervention ultimately helped her get sober. She is two years clean.
6. Kristy (36 years old) - 10-year addiction to crack cocaine.
"I started out just snorting cocaine or smoking it with weed. It seems like everything changed once I started smoking crack," Kristy said. She says that her judge changed her life as well as the time she had to reflect in jail. "When I was in prison I thought about all the things I was missing out on in my kids lives and how much prison sucked. I still relapsed a couple times though."
Kristy is two years clean.
7. Chris (24 years old) - five-year addiction to meth and opiates.
While we don't have the personal testimonials for the next several people, it is still unbelievably inspiring to see their progression into sobriety. Chris is one year clean.
8. Elizabeth (35 years old) - 10-year addiction to opiates.
She is three years clean.
9. Tracy (27 years old) - nine-year addiction to opiates.
10. Jessica (25 years old) - eight-year addiction to meth.
Good on these folks! Drug addiction is a problem that is very much alive and well in the United States, a struggle where only some make it out of alive.
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