Gladys’s Recovery Story
Hello. My name is Gladys, and I have been an addict for years.
My addiction started as a child. There was so much going on in my life as a child, so I started with cigarettes, and cigarettes took me to marijuana at the age of 13. There was so much going on in our household that made me feel unaccepted and I turned to sex. My first time out, I got pregnant. I have a son; I kept my child.
Then I continued with the marijuana, and soon after I introduced alcohol. I then had a second child 3 and 1/2 years later. Having my second son at age 19 enabled me to move out of my Mom’s house and into my own place. After that, I met my third son’s father who introduced me to cocaine, and then he became violent. That reign lasted for 12 years.
I could pick up and put down the powder cocaine; that was easy. It was years later that I started using hard cocaine (crack). That took me on a journey of smoking for 15 years; I was so afraid of getting caught by my son, fearing that I would lose his love. I raised my sons; they all moved out on their own and started their own families and I thought I was free and could be grown without so much worry of my sons catching me smoking.
For years, I have been clean. I used to sit in my house alone to get high and I would hear my oldest son’s voice which scared me so bad I quit forever, but it was God who pulled me through. I would pray while I was smoking: “Take the taste, Lord, take the taste,” and I thank God that he heard me. Today, I’m clean and sober with three sons, seventeen grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and one more on the way. I love all of them, and they love me, too. Today, my life is wonderful; I’ve been taking care of my Mom who is with me now, and I just thank God everyday that I’m able to take care of Mom and I’m also taking care of an elderly man.