REAL STORIES

Age: 29
Gender: Female
Location: Twin Falls

I am a grateful believer in Jesus Christ; I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, granddaughter, friend, and Recovering Meth Addict. My name is Ayngela. It all started for me in 1994 when I just 14 years old, a freshman at Kimberly High School. That is half of my life as I am only 29 years old.

I was a teenage girl with some issues with my self-esteem. I started using meth because I had struggled with eating disorders and I could lose weight rapidly. I found that I was not tired and I could go without eating and best of all I found that I was numb and I did not have to feel anything.

I married for my first time at 16, had a baby at 17. We divorced 2 years later because my husband physically and mentally abused me. During the divorce, due to the abuse and drug use, I gave my 8-month-old daughter to my Mom.

I met husband number 2 while he was incarcerated with my friendąs boyfriend. When he was released I got pregnant again and I married him because I was pregnant. He promised to stay clean and life would be great. I stayed clean through my pregnancy although there was abuse from him clear through it. He continued to use. When my son was 2 weeks old I started using again to lose the baby weight and so that my husband wouldnąt leave me. I gave my son to my mom when he was 2 1/2 weeks old and continued to use.

I went to treatment for the first time in March of 2000. I got divorced again as I realized he was no good for me. Life was good. I got pregnant again and had my third baby. It was amazing to be clean and have my little girl and able to keep her and actually be a mommy for once. When my daughter was 4 months old I got 4 broken ribs and got put on prescription narcotics. The mixture of that and depression sent me back on my way to using for a couple weeks.

I had a Probation Officer at this time and he gave me the option of going back to treatment or going to jail. I chose treatment. I got married to my high school sweetheart Jacob in Oct of 2001 and we had a set of twin boys in Oct. of 2002. I stayed clean for almost 4 years. This was the longest I had ever been clean. We then started using together in October of 2004 and life was the ultimate hell. We decided to go to treatment so I entered treatment for my second time in August of 2006. We decided to try to make our marriage work and keep our family together.

We had nearly 6 months clean when I allowed a using family member to move in with us and we relapsed. In those 10 days we lost everything. Our kids, jobs, house, car and nearly our lives do to overdoses. When we lost our kids that was my breaking point. I never had my kids ripped from my arms screaming. I will never forget that day. It was horrible.

I went to treatment for the 3rd time in March of 2007. I did 32 days at the Road to Recovery in Pocatello. In August of 2007 my husband and I started attending Celebrate Recovery, which is, a Christ Centered 12 Step Group. And we also started to attend Lighthouse Christian Fellowship again on a regular basis. God has truly saved my life more than once. God works and treatment works. I was in the depths of hell and thanks to God and Treatment and the support system.

I have today, my beautiful children have been home since August of 2007; they closed our case in November of 2007 at the Department of Health and Welfare. My husband is sober also and going to school for his journeyman in plumbing and working full time. I am going to school to get my CNA and to continue on into the Medical Assistant program. I also homeschool my children through Idaho Virtual Academy. I am building a relationship with my older 2 children and talk to them and see them on a regular basis. I now have an awesome relationship with my mom. My dad and I are also repairing our relationship. I have an awesome relationship with my very wonderful in-laws.

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