“When I was 20, I started having pain from being on my feet all day.  My dad gave me a pain pill and from that first day, I knew I loved it.  I went from taking one every now and then to taking 3 or 4 a day.  I got pills from multiple doctors and even started stealing them from my parents.  Eventually I started using heroin.  It was like my best friend for a long time.  

The thing is, I didn’t have a bad childhood or anything. I had everything I wanted.  But I still became addicted.  I’ve overdosed 7 times and been to 13 inpatient treatment centers.  Relapse is sometimes a part of recovery, but it doesn’t matter how many times I fall down – it matters how many times I get back up.”