“The saddest part is, I know he wants to stop this. I’ve attended too many funerals of good kids who couldn’t win against this monster. I’ve lost my son, but there hasn’t been a funeral. He is no longer there. I can see him, yet I mourn for him every day. It hurts. I want a do over. I want a second chance to protect him from this monster. I want my son back.”
‘He’s using again. I’m heartbroken. If you see him, give him a hug. Say a prayer. Tell him his mom misses him.’: Mom painfully describes loving her addict son, ‘It hurts. I want a do-over. I want my son back.’
‘I woke up in a hospital bed. There was a $100 bill on the bedside table with a note that said, ‘GO HOME.’ My miscarriage left me almost dead.’: Woman quits alcohol and drugs ‘cold turkey’ after addict husband’s death
“I had never smoked a cigarette, never drank a beer, never had a real boyfriend. I was a naïve, 17-year-old virgin. I went to a party with my friends. I paid the guy at the door $5 dollars. ‘The punch is in the kitchen, don’t lose your cup.’ I was found on steps, lying in a pool of vomit. I fell off the Dean’s List. Then I met the man I would marry. I had a front-row seat to the most terrifying horror show imaginable. I was penniless, homeless, trickin’ on Main South for a 40 piece.”
‘I sat in our garage, started my car and let it run. I wanted to die. And then I saw my son open the garage door.’: Woman gives hope to other victims of narcissistic abuse, ‘I’m not ready to die. In fact, I’m ready to be reborn.’
“When I was 9 months pregnant, my husband was in a horrible car accident. I learned he’d been to a strip club and cheated on me that night. ‘He loves me enough to change.’ I wanted to be a ‘whole’ family. He was taking my car keys, my money, making sure he knew where I was. My son’s needs with his autism were increasing so we moved to Arizona to get him more help. This wasn’t about bettering our life at all. This was all just a master plan of isolating me. I finally knew I was done.”
‘I almost died on an airplane because I took too many shots with this old creep. I woke up on the floor with an oxygen mask on me and a frantic flight attendant trying to wake me.’: 27-year-old overcomes alcoholism, ‘I knew I had to change’
“I lived for the thrill of being a sneak. I thought I was doing a good job hiding my secret, but I wasn’t. I was in a toxic relationship with a drug dealer and I honestly didn’t want to live anymore. I was so ashamed. One night I went to church with a few shots in me, but I left midway through worship because I couldn’t fake it. That was when the miracle finally had happened for me. I walked into my first meeting half-drunk from the warm bottle of wine under my driver’s seat in my car, and I asked for help.”
‘My birth mom did cocaine while pregnant. I was hooked before I was even born. ‘Don’t stop,’ my boyfriend told me. I listened.’: Woman overcomes life-long battle with addiction, ‘Sober is sexy!’
“I knew they would reject me if I said no. ‘Sure, I’ll try it.’ I made a fool of myself. My ‘friends’ loved it. They bragged about me at school, about how cool I was. It was a thrill to be accepted for once. I didn’t know it was for the wrong reasons. It got to the point where I was homeless, using drugs to try to overdose. But it never worked. Every morning, I would wake up, cry, and tell myself it was the last time I was going to take drugs. But every night I would use again, trying to kill myself. Every day, and every night.”
‘I called him from a crackhouse. ‘I don’t know you very well, but if you don’t come for me, I’m going to die here.’: Woman overcomes lifelong battle with addiction, ‘I finally found how to love myself’
“I was invited to a party across the street. There were white rocks on the table. I asked, ‘What is that?’ They asked me if I wanted to try it. The second it went into my body, I was already addicted. In the middle of winter, I walked down the street with no shoes as blood ran down my legs. After ONE HIT, I went from start athlete to sticking needles in my arms in abandoned apartment buildings. I sold my body, my soul, and everything for the next one.”
‘Congrats, it’s a boy.’ His parents terminated their rights. ‘That’s it? It’s over?’ I was in such shock I was numb.’: Single woman becomes ‘forever mom’ after unexpectedly adopting son, ‘He’s the best gift I never knew I wanted!’
“I was single, living in a cramped apartment, and determined to NEVER be a mom. I just wanted a man to share my life with until my final breath. I hoped he’d arrive in the form of a 6’3, dark-haired, bearded intellectual with a swimmer’s body. Little did I know Mr. Right would arrive in a different form. Jack is the answer to a prayer I didn’t even know I was praying.”
‘This guy is capable of killing you. I’ve never told someone they need a gun, but you do.’ I had to file bankruptcy. I was so naïve.’: Young woman gets sober to save her life from ‘sociopath’ ex, ‘I dodged an ATOMIC BOMB’
“Girls started sending me screenshots. He’d been taking them on dates behind my back. His ex of 10 years came forward with times he showed up at her house claiming to be suicidal and begging for her back. So I did what any normal girl would do – I left him. But I allowed his charm to get the best of me. I was fully addicted to him. My mistake. ‘Would you be open to checking out the sex club down the street?,’ he asked one night. Soon our lifestyle of gambling and drinking wasn’t enough. I was a part of this secret underground community. I’d be lying if I said it was wasn’t a little liberating.”
‘Sweetie, do you have someone you can call?’ I ask, ‘Is he going to die? OMG, I have to tell my boys.’: After losing husband to sudden stroke, widow finds love again, ‘When we first hugged, he was like home to me’
“I was DONE dating after I found out a guy I was talking to was married. ‘There’s this lawyer I see in court. Every time I see him, I think I should introduce you two,’ my cousin told me. Before I could say how crazy she was, she introduced us online. I knew immediately he was different and special. As his arms wrapped around my waist, I knew these were the arms I would be in for the rest of my life.”
‘Hey, are you alone? I don’t know how to tell you this, but mom just called. Jason died. He overdosed.’ That moment, everything STOPPED.’: Woman overcomes Adderall addiction, gets sober after brother dies of overdose, ‘my new life is full of magic, love’
“I sat on the floor of my balcony thinking about how I could hang myself but not wanting to do it for the sake of everyone outside. ‘This is all just a game.’ I missed a metal railing by a few inches and went straight into a ditch. I flipped 7 times, hit a tree and went airborne. The next thing I knew I was saying, ‘Jason? Jason, please don’t leave me.’ I was in a full-blown conversation with him. He was in the same white gown that I said goodbye to him at his funeral. ‘Cass, you are not alone, but you need to go back.’”
