Hi. My name is Nadine and Im an addict.
I wanna thank Monmouth County Area Service for asking me to share my experience strength and hope. I came to the rooms of Narcotics Anonymous when I was 19 years old. I came thru Collier Youth Services. They had sent me to NA after they helped me get clean. After catching me with drugs and alcohol I had to get clean. My drug of choice is Alcohol and Benzo.
I had struggled with addiction early. I had been arrested a few times thru Aberdeen Police department. I was unable to identify with others in the rooms, due to my age. I thought all the addicts were way ahead of me and I wasn’t that bad yet. At the age of 21 I had been arrested again and as an adult and thru the Monmouth County Courts I had to come because of a paper. The things I swore I would never do, I did. I did whatever it took to get high and to escape my painful reality.
I had a 5 year sentence over my head and I was not willing to go to prison. The god of my understanding had given me an opportunity at life. If I followed the program of NA and complied with the court system I had an opportunity to not have a record. The act of willingness and faith gave me hope. I went to meetings, got a sponsor and got involved in service. Thru these things I gained clean-time and relationships that I never had. I went from being in the group home of Collier Youth Services to having my own apartment.
My life has changed and taking the time and having the courage and ability to listen and trust that my life would get better. Thru NA and my Higher Power I have 3 years clean…the last time I used was January 1 , 2013. I had made a decision to get clean and stay clean. I have been thru deaths, arrested clean thru the wreckage of my past, lost trust and faith in god and others. But in all I do not use. Using never solved anything.
I have been blessed to be apart of a beautiful process of recovery. I am clean. Recovery has given me a life behind my wildest dream. I learned about myself thru working steps with a sponsor and having trust in her to believe in me and her experience to guide me. I am truly overwhelmed with gratitude and love with the ability to just stop using a day at a time. I never thought I could do that.
Just for today I am grateful and loved by many. I am a member of NA and I take pride in how far I’ve come. Having hope when everything seems hopeless, I am truly in debt to NA. The only promise is freedom from active addiction and I have gotten so much more. I am 24 years old, and 3 years clean. Age is just a number. Pain gave me strength. Thanks for allowing me to share…