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How Did You Break Your Cycle Of Addiction / Chronic Relapse / Chronic Relapsers: a collection of stories that helped them break the cycle

October 14, 2021

The road to full recovery from addiction is marked by highs and lows. On some days, you may feel extremely motivated to stay sober and keep on fighting. However, there will be days when the temptation to relapse is strong and you want to fall back to your old ways. 

It helps to hear about other patients’ success stories to serve as inspiration and motivation to continue healing. These stories prove that recovery is possible and achievable for as long as you have a loving support system, discipline, and an addiction treatment center that cares for your wellbeing. 

Inspiring Recovery Stories

The Journey Of Brittany Shelton

Brittany Shelton loves her quiet life as a stay-at-home mom. She dedicates her days to writing for her blog as well as caring for her family. However, this wasn’t always the case. 

She grew up in Missouri in her family’s trailer. Her childhood home was always filled with noise, strangers, and smoke. There were multiple occasions where the male strangers would touch her inappropriately. Her family’s situation worsened with the death of her brother. It added another layer of strain to her already troubled parents.

Her parents eventually separated. She went to high school and lived with her father and stepmother. She has always felt left out and a burden. By 16, she downed a bottle of liquor which led to her binge-drinking with her friends every weekend. She liked how she can escape with alcohol and drugs.

This led to her getting kicked out of her father’s house. By 20, she was living with her boyfriend and 9-month-old son. She still developed a Xanax addiction. She even mixed Xanax with alcohol on a daily basis. It took a couple of overdoses before she sought help. She said, “I had legal issues piled on top of me. I didn’t have anyone from my family in my corner. I had isolated myself from everything and everyone I was associated with. I felt alone, hopeless and tired.”

She went to the local 12-step meeting and that was when her life began to change for the better. She was mentored and given tools to stay sober. She took up counseling and got a sponsor. All of these positive changes were propelled by her desire to provide a better life for her son. As of today, she is 12 years in sobriety and enjoying her life with her husband and three kids.

The Story Of Randy Kemp

Randy Kemp’s story started when his father left when he was 12. That was also the first time he tried alcohol. He and his friends stole a bottle from their parent’s liquor stash. They were grossed out, but he remembers feeling a sense of relief from all the stressors at the time.

He wanted to cling to that feeling of relief which is why he continued drinking. He became friends with people with separated parents who likewise drank alcohol. He also took up marijuana and cocaine during his freshman year in high school. 

Trouble struck when he was arrested at nineteen for drunk driving. He attended a 30-day rehab as mandated by the court. This rehab stint led him to Alcoholics Anonymous. He left feeling optimistic about his sobriety. Unfortunately, his employer at a local car wash was a cocaine dealer which made his addiction worse.

It went downhill from there. He resorted to stealing just so he could sustain his addiction. He went in and out of prison for a myriad of crimes. He’d always attempt to rebuild his life and then fail. The longest he stayed sober was 10 months. His cravings got worse when his mother passed away. He claimed that he was sober but he was still using secretly. 

His wake-up call happened when he woke up from a near-death encounter with methamphetamine. He also said that he is a Christian which meant that if he died, he will go to hell. He reached out to a pastor in the local church and he was referred to a church member who is a psychologist. They met weekly until Randy was referred to a psychiatrist.

This was when the real change began because he has accepted that he is indeed mentally ill. Alcoholism and drug addiction are chronic mental illnesses. He was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He was given medication to manage this as well as to ease his alcoholic cravings.

He continued with his treatments and he is sober up to this day. He has plans to finish his college education and take up improv comedy. He even started a YouTube channel called “Randy Unscripted.” He posts vlogs where he talks about his recovery in hopes of inspiring others.

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