Shelby

Shelby struggled with addiction for many years, and would use just about anything she could get her hands on. “Alcohol, pain pills…you name it, I was addicted to it.” As her addiction worsened, she said it was her “pride and ego” that held her back from getting the help she needed. She was in denial about her addiction and believed everyone else around her was the problem.

Shelby’s addiction eventually led to her being homeless, forcing her and her dog to live out of her car for over a year. It was at this point that Shelby realized the severity of her drug use, and decided to reach out for help.

She ended up at Cycles of Change, where she was surprised to learn that the people she was surrounded by were able to understand her issues and the struggles she had endured. “I had a lot of anger issues and trust issues, and I didn’t think my counselors or even the CEO knew what I was going through. But sure enough they did, and they showed me it was okay and that I wasn’t the only one suffering from this disease and these issues that I had.”

One of her biggest takeaways from her time at Cycles of Change was being able to develop a structured lifestyle.

“It is extremely important having structure in my recovery, because I’ve never had that. [In my entire life] I’ve never had a structured environment, and being shown structure has helped me on employment, on my relationships with my family, being accountable…if I didn’t have structure, I don’t think I’d be here today.”

Learn more about Shelby’s story and how Cycles of Changed helped her learn a new way of life and become the person she’s always wanted to be: