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Ready For a New Life...

Wednesday, 05 November 2014 00:10

By Staci McCoy (ironman.com)

On June 25, 2006, I went to jail. It turned out to be one of the best days of my life.

I had been in a downward spiral since my marriage ended in 1997, and I didn't know what to do or how to live. I was lost and empty. I'd been a heavy drinker for years, but when I discovered meth at age 31, all it did for me was prove the pick me up I needed to keep drinking.

Nine long, hard years of daily meth use followed, along with continued drinking. During that period, I lost relationships with everyone, thinking I was protecting them from seeing how just how bad I'd become.

The day I was arrested I was 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 82 pounds (I thought I looked pretty good!) But when I look at my booking photo today—I carry it in my purse to remind me—I know just how wrong I was....

I'd lost my house, my cars, motorcycles, trailer and jet skis, due to the vicious cycle of having to feed the addiction. Surprisingly, I thought I still had a handle on my life. In 1999 I stuffed my '84 red Bronco II to the gills and hit the road, bouncing from place to place just to stay high.

If I keep my body busy, my mind is busy, which helps keep negative thoughts from rolling around in my head.

On June 25, 2006, I was driving to my dealer's when I passed an undercover patrol car. The trace would come back as DWP (driving without privileges). Sure enough, the lights came on. I pulled over and was handcuffed and transported to the detention facility. I was in jail for 25 days and, during this time, I was assigned a public defender and a probation officer, then sworn into the Specialty Drug Court Program—my saving grace.

There I was, 40 years of age with two grown children and the best parents around. I knew I was ready for a new life. During my incarceration, I had no withdrawals and graduated from the program early. I have had no reason to pick up a drink or use since June 24, 2006, and my life just keeps getting better.
I have since been diagnosed with cervical and thyroid cancer, but I used the tools I'd been given through my rehabilitation and applied them to my new situation. I've been cancer free for over three years. READ MORE