My road to recovery was a long one, and by the time I got to Casa Teresa I was still very angry and broken. I came from a broken home. My parents hated each other and hardly communicated. My mom liked men and parties and I learned to fend for myself at a young age. I started drinking at the age of 12 and drugs shortly followed. At the age of 19 I became addicted to Meth. Before using Meth, I never considered myself an alcoholic or an addict. I just liked to have fun and because I could hold down a job, I thought I was fine. The day I tried meth, my life became progressively more out of control. I met my daughter's father and became pregnant at the age of 21. When my daughter was one, she was removed from my care. 18 months later I lost all parental rights to her, she was adopted. I kept using meth and then started with heroin. I met my son's dad at age 26 and soon found myself in a domestic violence relationship. I became pregnant with my son in the spring of 2012. I was arrested, with my son's father, in May 2012. I was ordered to complete a drug treatment program and he was sent off to prison. I was in drug treatment for 5 months and I was about to graduate with nowhere to go. I was 9 months pregnant, homeless and pretty hopeless. I interviewed at Casa Teresa's EMS and was accepted the next day. When I saw my room, I couldn't believe it. It was so big and beautiful. Everything was so nice looking and comfortable. It was such a relief to know that I would be bringing my baby home to such a clean, bright and warm environment. I had my son on February 7, 2013. All of the staff at EMS were really excited because he was the first baby they had. In April of 2013, I was accepted into T1 and began my six-month stay there. My counselor, Susan, got me started on some future plans and goals. I still had a real big chip on my shoulder and really resisted. Susan could see right through me and knew I needed tough love in order to be successful. I decided that I wanted to become a Registered Nurse and earn my BSN. I started going back to school in the summer of 2013. Susan also suggested that I get plugged into AA or some sort of 12-step program. At that point, I was still in such denial that I really almost refused to go. That woman is my angel though because had it not been for her foresight, I would not have made it this far. I reluctantly found a sponsor and started my journey in the AA program. I was not promoted to T2 after my six-month stay. Susan did not believe that I was ready for the freedom and pressure of going to T2. She suggested that I return to a six-month recovery based program and upon compete they would happily have me back at Casa Teresa and put me right into T2. At the time I believed this to be the most egregious suggestion anyone could have made. In spite of myself, I took her suggestion and found another six-month treatment program to go to. During that six-month period, I really found myself. I experienced many difficult times and was broken down. I needed to be broken down. I was self-righteous and had a false sense of entitlement. I needed to experience some more pain and suffering before I could truly have gratitude. Through that program, I received Section 8 housing. I left that program with a car and a place to live that is all mine. Casa Teresa completely furnished my entire apartment with beautiful, nice, quality home furnishings. I started school again in fall of 2014 and I have been going every semester since. I currently have a 3.5 GPA and I will be applying for the nursing program at LBCC in March. Last year I was awarded 2 scholarships for outstanding academic achievement. I still work with my sponsor and have worked all twelve steps of the AA big book. I have three and a half years sober and I even sponsor women now too. My life is amazing today. My son is the light of my life. God has blessed me beyond reasonable measures. People like Kim Self, Julie Turner, Ashely Hancock, Susan Lockard and Dr. Pugh truly changed my life. Their love for me and the other women at Casa Teresa could move mountains. Their dedication to their jobs is something few others have. They loved me until I could love myself and I am truly grateful and owe them a debt I can never begin to repay. The Journey Continues: Julia has reached the next step in her educational goal. She has submitted her application for Nursing School at Long Beach Community College where she will continue to pursue her dream to become a registered nurse.
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