http://ozarkspub.vo.llnwd.net/o37/KSMU/audio/mp3/methseries_832.mp3
In this segment of KSMU's series on methamphetamine, Michele Skalicky talks with a recovered meth addict about her experience and how she finally sought help.
Julie is 33 years old and started doing meth as a teenager
Julie says it was curiosity that lead her to try meth. She was also dealing with several issues, she says, and anything rebellious appealed to her.
Julie used meth off and on until she was about 18—that's when she began using on a regular basis
Julie says she felt betrayed and abandoned by her family...
It was when Julie finally realized she wasn't a victim—that she had control over what happened to her—that she decided to seek help
Julie's been clean for almost a year and a half now. She got help thru the Carol Jones Recovery Center for Women. Living in the Center's transitional housing helped her learn how to live a normal life
Today Julie is working. She has her own place, she has regular visits with her oldest child, and she's working to gain custody of her youngest daughter. But if that doesn't happen, she says it'll be OK
And she doesn't have any desire to go back to her former lifestyle
Julie now works and pays her own bills. She says life is pretty predictable
Julie wants to be an example for other meth addicts who want to come clean. She says they can kick the habit and life will get easier, though she admits coming to terms with the idea of seeking help wasn't easy
She credits a belief in a higher power for getting her to where she is today
Julie hopes to start school in January. She continues to set small goals for herself and to work towards them. Reaching them, she says, gives her confidence and makes it a little easier to move on.
Tomorrow morning at 7:30 as KSMU's meth series continues, we'll look at Drug Court and how that's helped meth users overcome their addiction.
