Stories of Hope
Brandon Tomlison
He thought his childhood was normal. Afterall, it was all he had ever known. But Brandon Tomlinson grew up in an alcoholic home, and fighting was frequently seen.Brandon tried alcohol at age 10. By the time he was 16, he was smoking marijuana and taking pills.During...
Chris Whitenack
At age 16, Chris would get dropped off at AA meetings, then his mom, who was a social worker, would attend Al-Anon. She did everything she could to help him.But pot, pain pills and alcohol progressed to heroin and meth. Chris spent more than 10 years in jail and...
Toddra Curry
Growing up I had a pretty good home life. I never wanted for anything and never did without. As I got older, I knew that I always felt different and would do anything to feel I belonged. In high school that led me to drinking alcohol and smoking weed. At the time I...
Shawn Allen
Shawn Allen had a normal childhood. He grew up in church. His parents didn’t drink or smoke. It wasn’t an environmental thing, he said.Shawn started running with the wrong crowd and experimenting with drugs near the end of high school. Soon, he alienated all of his...
Chris Mills
Chris Mills drank a lot and experimented with drugs – weed and speed – while growing up.He served in the U.S. Marine Corps – enlisting during the Gulf War in 1991. While Chris was serving in the Marines, he was married and had a son. The drug experimentation...
Ed Early
Star high school athlete. College baseball player. Expected to do big things. This is Ed Early.Twenty-three felonies. Went from an athletic 190 pounds to 130 pounds. People shut their garage doors when they saw him walking down the street. This is also Ed Early.Ed’s...
Miranda Baker
Hi, my name is Miranda, and this is my story.I am 31 years old. My clean date is Aug. 1, 2018.Growing up, I had a wonderful and loving childhood. I started to sneak around and smoke weed at the age of 12. By the time I was 14, I started to take my addiction to a new...
Olivia Broughton
She was born to parents in active addiction. By age 4, Olivia Broughton’s mother left. By fourth grade, she was living with her grandparents.At age 11, she was smoking and drinking, then started hanging out with gang-bangers in sixth grade. Sex with grown men filled...
Teresa Slaven
My name is Teresa Slaven. I am 26 years old and my sobriety date is December 28, 2017. This is my story.When I was just a child, my three older sisters and I were put into the foster care system. I lost both my parents because of drug and alcohol addiction. My mother...