If there’s anything people should know about addiction – it’s that it does not discriminate. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, black or white, gay or straight, or what part of the world you live in. The grips of addiction can take hold of anyone when given the chance.
A woman named Shay Walters from Ohio recently shared a story about her emotional ride from being a drug addict to a businesswoman and wife.
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Sharing the story with Love What Matters, Shay wanted the world to know that drug addiction is powerful. Even coming from a good family, she still found herself in a downward spiral.
“3 sisters, one home, same parents, 1 addict.”
“Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t matter how you were raised. Addiction doesn’t discriminate. For all of the mothers thinking it is their fault, it isn’t. My 2 sisters went off to college, I went to prison. It is an illness and the only thing that could’ve stopped it would’ve been never trying anything at all,” she shares.
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What many people don’t know is that addiction is an illness. According to SAMHSA, around 20.3 million people over the age of 12 had a substance use disorder in the past year.
“Their minds see the world in a normal way. My mind does not. It’s a disease of perception. I could have all the love in the world, and still feel unloved. I could have every reason to get clean and still get high. I could have everything or nothing to lose, and I still couldn’t sober up.”
Many families feel like they could have prevented addiction by ‘doing more’ or ‘giving more,’ when really and truly – that just isn’t the case. She explains further…
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“It wasn’t my childhood. It wasn’t trauma. It wasn’t daddy issues. It wasn’t my family. It wasn’t anything other than me and my make up. I personally have to combat that with a daily solution of faith in God and my sobriety program. I have to help others. I have to ask for someone else to look at my thinking because 90% of the time I am not seeing it clearly. I’ve accepted that,” Shay says.
If there is a family member or friend in your life that is struggling with addiction – Shay wants you to know that it’s not your fault and you did not play a role.
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“So, for every family member blaming themselves, racking their brain of where exactly it went wrong, beating themselves up, crying themselves to sleep, and thinking it was something they did…you can’t make someone get high and you can’t get them sober,” Shay writes.
Her final words have hit home with the millions of readers who have come across her article and story.
“It’s not your fault, and it’s too heavy to carry. Give it to God and get some rest.”
Shay now dedicates her life to helping others through her mission, “From Prison to Purpose“. On both her Facebook page and Instagram page, Shay wants others to know that a life free of addiction is possible for anyone. She shares inspirational quotes, success stories from others, and generally uplifting content to help people get through life – one day at a time.
https://www.facebook.com/fromprison2purpose/photos/662328757826848
Shay’s online support group/Facebook page has amassed nearly 400,000 followers with no signs of stopping. She’s certainly an inspiration to many and her story has comforted more people than she will ever know.
Shay had struggled with addiction since she was a teenager. It began with pain pills then evolved to heroin and crack cocaine. “In 2015, the 29-year-old was charged with nine felonies and facing 22 years in prison for possession of a drug, trafficking and tampering with evidence,” according to Yahoo.
Support Shay Walters and learn more about her new and sober life by ‘liking’ her Facebook page and following her on Instagram.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
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