Hi, I am Jeannie. If I wanted to be honest with myself, my addiction began in 1998 with cocaine. I didn't consider it an addiction because I only used on weekends. But those weekends ruined my life and cost me three years in prison. When I came home I thought I was doing amazing but I still had no tools to walk in freedom.
Beginning around 2009 I became ill with a blood disorder called PNH. I had extreme pain in my legs and became addicted to pain pills. What started off as an illness became four years of a down hill slide into hell. During that time, I stole from my family, my friends, and even my son by lying to him concerning what I needed money for. I became someone I didn't recognize, nor did my family. Nothing mattered to me except my next fix.
Finally, by the grace of God, I was arrested. I could not get clean on my own, so Jesus took the wheel. My attorney told me if I was looking to get a short sentence, he wasn't the attorney for me. He fought for me to get in a program and that probably saved my life.
I went to prison for three years and learned a lot, yet I was still scared of getting out and not know ing how to continue in sobriety. When I first came home, I had a lot of support but I knew I needed more. I started participating in a program through Virginia Cares. Then one day my mom called me and said there's going to be a thing on addiction at a local church, would you like to go. And she followed up with, "your old friend Penny Black and her husband are the sponsors of the event."
I stopped by a table at the event and there was Dana Brown and her husband, Mark, from Zoe Freedom Center. I got connected at Zoe, and I never question whether I have support in my community. There is not a moment day or night that I can't pick up the phone and call one of my girls from our group. I don't know if I would be where I am today without the support of these amazing ladies.
Dana Brown and Melissa Brown are my heroes. Just a couple months ago I had a really weird thought come into my mind during a stressful day at work. I never once questioned what to do. I picked up the phone and called Dana because I know she's always got my back. Where I was, from 2012 to 2015, was a place I never want to be again. Zoe Freedom Center is helping me find freedom from addiction.
