A Story Of Hope From A Work Work Alumni.

This brave story discusses violence and addiction; please read with care.

“I want to share my story because I know I’m not the only one who’s been there. ”

There are so many people carrying similar experiences quietly, feeling like they’re on their own.

This is my way of giving something back. I never would have imagined I’d be in a place where I could talk about it like this – especially from a place of recovery. But I am. And if my story helps even one person feel less alone, then it’s worth it.

I was in addiction for a long time; there were periods where I genuinely couldn’t see a way out of it. Something I thought I might always be stuck inside. It wasn’t just a habit — it became the backdrop of my life.

There can be such hopelessness in addiction; such low self worth. We can't change the past - but we can change our future. First, though, you need to believe you can...you need to believe you’re worthy of a better life.

Believing in a better tomorrow depends on you believing in yourself – and that happens one day at a time. It happens in those small actions of consistency and capability.

“You have to slowly rebuild your idea of yourself.”

I was in a very violent relationship as a teenager – I stayed with him for 8 years. 

I wear dentures to this day because of him.

That relationship exposed me to things I never would have considered before – drug use, stealing, driving unregistered cars. I wasn’t thinking about the effect it would have on the rest of my life...I don’t think I really believed in my future enough.

By 19 or 20, I went to the doctors looking for support – I needed help getting clean. So they put me on the methadone program. I stayed on that program for 16 years.

I’d try anything that would help - and methadone is an important tool. But if they didn’t show me that there’s a way out. In my rural town, there was no rehab, no addiction education surrounding the treatment, no support for me to reduce over time.

I had no exit plan.

That would be one thing I’d love to see changed within the system – more support to reduce, and to address the inner work that helps you toward recovery. So you know there's another option, when you're ready for it.

In 2015, I became incarcerated due to a possession charge. I put my hand up for it, because I didn’t want my partner to go to prison. He ahs said I would get leniency, as I had a young daughter at the time…but because of my past charges, I was sentenced to jail time.

I tried to make the most of it. I figured I could detox and come out clean. But there was no one to talk to or get support through the detox, and I got so sick. I couldn't sleep, I couldn’t think.

I ended up using other substances to get me through – it was a mess. When I was released, my family thought I was clean…but in reality, I left prison with a different addiction. I had let them down. I was absolutely crushed.

When I looked into rehabs in my local area, I was denied because of being on the methadone program. I wondered if there were places further abroad that could help – but I thought, how am I meant to head off to rehab as a single mom?

The shame kept me from asking for help.

“I felt stuck. I felt hopeless. I was just trying to hold it together.”

Until one day, I just couldn't justify it anymore. It all had to stop.

I finally found a rehab in Sydney – one of the few in Australia that would take me in. It was many hours away from my children, but I knew I had to do it. For them, for me…for a chance at a real life with them.

It’s a hard program, but I stuck it out. I was there for 16 months, doing the inner work to understand myself more deeply. I had to accept that addiction is a part of my past – but I am worth a different future.

I'm happy I've finally done it, and now I’m looking forward. I hope my story shows that we can change and grow.

I hope someone might read this and start to believe they can change their story, too.

There are days and nights that feel heavy, but I try to keep it together – to keep showing up. Every day, I try to be a better person.

“I still carry shame, I still carry guilt…but now, I carry a bit of hope with me, too.”

- A Two Good Work Work Alumni