Rebuild Women’s Lives.

I was 38 years old and had been in addiction for 20 years. Opiates, speed, meth—I used whatever I could to escape the pain of my childhood trauma. I had lost everything. My three kids. My marriage. My sense of self. The day I walked into court, high as a kite, and heard the judge say, “Amy, your kids need you. You need them.”—I barely felt it. I was too numb.
But later, it hit me like a freight train. The weight of my failures. The finality of what I had lost.
So, I did what I had always done—I spiraled. I went on a binge, swallowing handfuls of pills, not caring if I woke up the next day. For three weeks, I lived in a cycle of getting high, passing out, and waking up just to do it again. But then, one morning, I did wake up—and something inside me whispered, No more.
After two weeks of waiting and begging for a bed, I checked myself into detox, knowing if I didn’t, I would die. When the fog began to clear, I stood by the window, watching the beautiful sunset, and a thought gripped me: If I leave here, I will be dead. I asked about rehab, and they told me about Naomi & Ruth, a faith-based program. I had spent years rejecting God, running
from faith. But something told me, This is where I need to be.
At first, I wasn’t sure I belonged. But then, I felt something I had never known—women who truly
loved me, not for what I had done, but for who I was. The turning point came with Irene, our spiritual life coach. I had carried a lifetime of pain, anger, and trauma. She sat with me, prayed with me. As she spoke, I felt the weight lift—like chains breaking. For the first time, I let go.
Months in, a pastor told me, “God loves you.” I didn’t believe it. But one day, driving alone, I was overwhelmed by something I’d never felt before—pure, undeniable love. In that moment, I knew:
I am worthy. I am loved. Today, sober since 2018, I have my children back in my life and have asked for their forgiveness. I co-parent with respect. I’m remarried. And through my job, I now dedicate my life to helping other women (serving at another nonprofit) break free, just as I did. I would never trade my worst day sober for my best day high.
To the women still struggling—I promise, if you do the work, if you hold on, freedom is waiting for you. And to Naomi & Ruth—you gave me back my life. You taught me how to love myself. You are my family. And for that, I will never stop being grateful. “I would never trade my worst day sober for my best day high.”