I decided eleven months ago—I lost my mind, my world came crashing down and reality and truth came pouring in like a renegade flood. Life was unmanageable. I hated everything about myself. I had sold all of my values to addiction in one form or another in order to keep an unhealthy relationship alive, and even with 100% of my self being laid at the altar, I couldn't stop the pain. I couldn't control anything or anyone. I wanted to die. So my options were these: change everything (I'm an all-or-nothing kind of project) or kill myself. Because I could not go one more second as I had. Thirty-seven years of trauma had born thirty-plus years of addiction. I needed help. All the help!

Nine months ago, I decided to choose me. I called ATS and bravely stepped into my world of recovering to heal me.
To love me. 
To change me.

To value me.
To listen to me.
To get to know me. (Say what?)
To be honest with me. 
To know that I, without anything else—just the stripped-down, messy, falling-apart me—well, she is enough. She has value. She is so smart and funny and giving and loving and all of the good things. And even if nobody else wanted to be around her... Well, she wanted to be around her. 

I have not arrived; nine months is just a start. But it's a beginning I can be proud of.

At ATS I found an entire world of support, people that see me as a human being and are as proud of me as I am. Even having one person who believes in you is beautiful. To have an entire organization cheering you on is profound. Thank you, ATS, for your support, for your belief in me and for wrapping your arms around me and every other human in recovery here!