My name is Myra Moore Elam. I am from Martin, Kentucky. I come from a wonderful family. My mom taught special education at Floyd County schools for 25 years. My dad owned a reclamation company that was really successful.
I was loved. I was taught right from wrong. Growing up, I felt different. I would seek attention; I felt less than and not good enough. I had low self-esteem; I always felt alone, even in a crowd of people.
My struggles started early in my teen-age years. I did things that were against everything I was taught. I lied, I manipulated, I did whatever “my friends” wanted me to do to make sure I was liked. I could fit in anywhere because I could be who you wanted me to be.
I used my first substance when I was 13. From that point on, my life became completely unmanageable. I lived to party and to use. This went on until I was 32 years old. On Jan. 9, 2013, my life took a turn of events that put me on a whole new path.
I didn’t realize this at the time. I couldn’t see the forest for the trees or the denial. This was the last day I ever used any mind- or mood-altering substance and the day I began my journey in recovery.
I will be celebrating 7 years of freedom on Jan. 9, 2020, just like I do every year since then. I am a different person today; I am a person I never dreamed I would be. In this last 7 years, I have become a daughter, a sister, a mother, a wife, a friend.
I have a relationship with God. I will graduate college in December with a bachelor’s degree. I spend my life helping other people who are suffering in addiction to find what I have found in recovery. In 2016, my husband and I moved to Morehead. In February 2018, we opened Edgewater Recovery Center. We have facilities for both men and women. I run the Human Resource department. We currently employee 45 people at Edgewater Recovery, most who are in long-term recovery. My life has been a beautiful blessing, and I am so grateful for it.
