Recovery and Finding Your Passion

This is a painting I did not that long ago. It symbolizes many things for me, but that's another story. This one is about Recovery from addiction. Many people think, "Once an addict, always an addict," and while that is true in some ways, its not true in all. I am four years clean. I never thought I'd see the day. I wanted to die at one point in my life. But little by little, after I was done with rehab (which I checked myself into without being forced), I began to rebuild my life. I started as a waitress—a waitress with a bachelor's degree. I used to be so bitter about that fact. I thought, "Why am I waiting tables when I could be doing so much more? I mean, I'm EDUCATED." But then God told me that I needed to humble myself. There are a lot of people out there with college degrees they aren't using. So what makes me so special? It was just my ambition and determination talking. So I did humble myself and I realized that I didn't get into the terrible shape I was in overnight, and I definitely wasn't going to undo all of that damage overnight, or in a day, or a month, or maybe even a year! I began to just explore. I ended up finding a "desk job," which made me realize even more that I do NOT want any desk job or confining job. I want to spread my creative wings and use my soul to do whatever it is I decide to do. I finally left the office job scene altogether, and decided one day that I am going to be a Copywriter. Because if I work hard enough at writing for others, maybe one day I will get to write about what I am SO passionate about: recovery. I just want that person out there struggling to get clean, stay clean, or rebuild to know that it IS possible, and I am living proof. I want to put together a group of people with a testimony to go to the schools in my area and talk openly and candidly about drugs, and what type of life comes along with them. And most importantly, I want to let them all know it CAN HAPPEN TO THEM. It is so easy to fall into addiction, and the street drugs these days are seriously lethal, and your chances are slim of living through it—and if you do, you'll most likely end up institutionalized. That is hell on earth, TRUST ME, I was there once upon a time. SO my short message is that recovery is possible... find your passion and GO AFTER IT and do what sparks your SOUL. Don't settle for anything less because we only get one life and wasting it doubting yourself is a tragedy.