My name is Britt and I am a grateful addict in recovery. I am 41 years old and my clean date is 7/14/16. I used for 20 years solid. What I can tell everyone is that not only have I not felt this free in those 20 years but I have never felt this free in all of my life. From birth...

This is written about my brother but also about me and also about all of us who are living the nightmare of addiction. #voicesproject To The People Who Think Addicts Deserve to Die: I can remember my brother having seizures and vomiting after he had surgery to correct his...

My name is Christy Pennington and I am a person in long-term recovery with substance use disorder. What that means to me is I have not had an illicit drug or drink of alcohol since November 28, 2013. I have a peace and serenity today that is immeasurable and as long as I...

How in the HELL did I get here?? It's not like I woke up one day, a raging heroin addict. It was a gradual process. One that cost me almost everything including my life. My childhood, for the most part, wasn't like those of other addicts I have met. My parents weren't addicts, I...

It's a very confusing feeling losing a patient to an overdose. As an employee at a treatment center, we often find ourselves fighting harder than the patients for their recovery. We beg and plead with them to follow our suggestions. But isn't that strange? It goes against what...

Dear Mr. President, the more I listen to you speak about how you are going to handle the opioid crisis plaguing our country, the more I realize that your knowledge regarding the disease of addiction is nonexistent. You first spoke about building a wall to keep drugs out of our...

My name is Michael Koch and I was a police officer for 19 years. In 2000, I promoted to undercover narcotics detective for a term of 4 years and transferred to property crimes for 3. I went back for a 6- year term as a narcotics detective until my life changed forever on...

When I was 12, my stepdad handed me a beer. When I was 13, he handed me a joint and started sexually harassing me. He made lewd remarks and even offered my virginity to his friends at a party once. Right before I turned 15, I was date raped at a party. I had been a virgin. I...

September is national recovery month. I never, as a kid, dreamed that I would become addicted to drugs and alcohol. No, I dreamed of becoming an attorney. I dreamed that I would be somebody in the world. I never dreamed of being an adult and getting in trouble with the law. I...