Lightbulb Switch - Turning on Recovery

We thank Angela for sharing her story with us. She is a Pioneer friend and client who was detoxed and helped at the Oak Harbor Ituha Stabilization Facility on Whidbey Island and assisted by Pioneer’s Foundational Community Supports (FCS) team.
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In 2022, I was 41 years old, living in Freeland, Washington and stuck in my drug addiction. It was far from the best life. I was just living. I was a functioning addict, doing the best I could, but killing myself in the process. 

I have a 17-year-old daughter and she wasn’t OK with my addiction. She came to me and said, “Mom, you’re killing yourself.” It really hurt. It took me three months, but I finally decided I wanted to go to detox. I prayed about it and by midnight, I was on the phone with my daughter telling her, “I’m ready for detox.” 

My dealer actually called a clean and sober friend who ended up sponsoring me temporarily and got me into detox at the Ituha Stabilization Facility. Usually, you must wait days for a detox bed at a center, but for some reason, I was in detox that night right after midnight. It is important to express my appreciation for the counselors and mentors who made this experience unforgettable. I am very thankful for Pioneer Human Services’ staff at Ituha; and for Steve James, Pioneer’s FCS supportive housing specialist; and for everything Pioneer has done to help me grow and move forward in life.

Once I was in Ituha for detox, I felt scared, lonely, and hurt physically and mentally. Staff supported me, but the following few days were very hard for me because detoxing made me really sick and I felt like I was crawling out of my skin at times. However, Ituha’s detox treatment staff worked at keeping me comfortable and was very accommodating especially as compared to the numerous other detox centers I was in previously. 

At Ituha, I met Steve James, who I call my housing worker, and I told him that I wanted to change, be independent and be able to live with my daughter. Steve said, “We can make that happen.” I asked him to make me one promise, “Don’t leave me no matter what!” Steve said, “OK.”

While I was in detox at Ituha, I made it hard for them to not notice or forget me. I was loud, obnoxious and all over the place. I even stayed longer than expected, but the staff stuck with me on my recovery. The detox center counselors had performed an intake assessment on me. I wanted to go to a specific recovery treatment center in Arlington. It took some time, but they finally secured a bed there for me. I was so happy as it offered yoga, sound baths, and the center taught me about cognitive behavioral skills and much more. I loved it as this was the first treatment center I learned about myself and addiction. In summary, I accepted their teachings that every experience in life is educational in one way or another. 

While in treatment, I also accepted telehealth doctors and still continue to see them every two weeks, for addiction, mental health and pain management. They have helped save my life too. I am grateful for them as well as everyone in my recovery circle.

After graduating from the treatment center, I moved into an Oxford House for sober living. They have a good foundation and their model is, “Grow or Go.” which means, you must be volunteering or working - or you’re out. We were also required to attend three addiction meetings a week. There’s a house meeting, plus drug testing every week. Your peers keep you accountable. 

I found out Steve James had been removed from my case, but he called me and told me he was keeping his promise of staying with me and was back on as my housing specialist and support team. I was very happy to hear from him.

It was important to get active in the community and volunteer so I completed the coaching program at the Recovery Café in Everett and volunteered there. I also participated in an Intensive Out Patient (IOP) program that was three days a week while at Oxford House and completed it after I left Oxford.
I lived with my sponsor for a couple of months but found out my dad was sick with cancer and decided to move back to Whidbey Island. On the island, I lived with dad for a bit and helped take care of him. He needed rides to doctor appointments and other assistance. 

During this time, I kept working on my recovery also. Every Sunday, I held the secretary position for my clean and sober meetings. I also was going to yoga with my sponsor. My older brother, Derek, died of a fentanyl overdose while I was there and it was heartbreaking. However, with these tragedies and experiences I have gone through, I was determined to apply the lessons learned. I focused on future educational endeavors, aiming to grow, positive change, and I practiced what I learned from all I went through.

Unfortunately, my dad is an enabler, so I cared for him and helped as much as I could, but I was afraid of relapsing and knew I had to move to keep on my recovery path. My goals were to move back to the Island, get a place with my daughter and live with her again. I prayed about it a lot.

It was so amazing to finally reach my goals of getting my own place with my 17-year-old daughter with the help of my Pioneer housing worker, Steve James. He helped me find my apartment, and my deposit and rent was paid through a grant that Pioneer Human Services secured. I remain clean and sober and committed to my recovery, and feel it is a blessing to have my life back. It is like having a supportive lightbulb switch and now I don’t have any reservation using it. 

Steve James, FCS supportive housing specialist, shared, “I have worked with Angela since she came to the Ituha Stabilization Facility in Oak harbor. She has been a go-getter since the beginning and continues to grow. I’m proud of her and all she has accomplished. Angela is still growing and is in college chasing her dream of helping other people like she was helped. She has overcome many adversities and continues to grow and shine. It is a pleasure to be able to walk beside her on this journey.”

I will always remember I have a disease that can try to creep in at any time. However, now I have tools and I’m prepared for any crisis life throws at me. I also have a sponsor and I work on my steps and stay connected. If anyone ever needs help just reach out and ask. My path has included going to school to get my high school diploma and college to become a drug counselor - I couldn’t ask for more. Now, I am attending Skagit Valley College, studying for my Master’s degree in Human Resources - Substance Abuse Disorders. 

My point to this whole story is drugs are bad and they kill people. Drugs don’t care about your life. It doesn’t matter if they are street drugs or prescriptions. Using prescribed medications improperly will also kill you. If you’re having a hard time in life, ask for help. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Stuffing your feelings down won’t help either. My dad always told me, “Anyone can do anything, if they put their mind to it.” 

I have learned through recovery to find peace, serenity and unity. Think about this; on the U.S. dollar bill it states, “In God We Trust.”  So, take a moment to think about it. God doesn’t put anything on our plate we can’t handle. If I can handle it, so can you. 

To conclude, I am very optimistic about the positive influence my educational experience will have on my future pursuits, striving to become the best version of myself, clean and sober.

Pictured: Angela at her new home with Steve James, Pioneer's FCS supportive housing specialist