Like so many women who come to Hope on Haven Hill, 33-year-old Jessica’s path to recovery has been long and tumultuous. For Jessica, the past 18 years have been filled with both triumphs and setbacks, but her beaming smile conveys that this mother of five is strong and resilient. Her desire to be the best mom she can be to her children led her to Hope on Haven Hill one year ago, but her journey began long before that.

Jessica was a high school freshman when she first used substances. “I wanted to change myself because I had a poor body image of myself, so I began experimenting with stimulants, but no matter what I did, I never felt I was good enough.”

By 17, Jessica had dropped out of high school and was managing a fast-food establishment in her hometown, where her coworkers introduced her to opiates. Jessica then found out she was pregnant. During this time, she was thankfully able to stop using substances. But Jessica experienced a devastating reoccurrence of her substance use disorder when her first child was less than a year old. She worked very hard to again initiate and sustain recovery. She was able to regain custody of her child, get married and have three more children. “I did good for a really long time, and so did my husband. We had a condo, nice cars. We were living what I would call a normal life. Then things started to go downhill again. That’s when I was introduced to methamphetamine, and that really ruined my life.”

Over the next three years, Jessica lost everything she had worked so hard for. Eventually, she even lost custody of her children. “On November 24, 2021, I found out I was pregnant again and I sought help.”

Jessica was admitted to Hope on Haven Hill’s residential program on December 1, 2021. She had an epiphany. She knew she needed to make big changes because doing the same things she had been doing, surrounded by the same people, had not worked for her in the past. She committed to the program and tried to learn everything she could.

One year after walking through the doors of Hope on Haven Hill, Jessica has made huge strides. One day after completing residential treatment and moving into Abi’s Place, Jessica gave birth to her youngest son, 5-month-old Greyson. Jessica participated in, and completed, Hope on Haven Hill’s IOP program, and continues to thrive at Abi’s Place, receive counseling and support from Hope on Haven Hill clinicians and case managers. She is also working towards reunification with her four older children.

Jessica says she would like to use her experience and what she has learned, to give back to the recovery community. With the support of Hope on Haven Hill, she is currently working towards completing her high school equivalency testing and plans to become a Certified Recovery Support Worker (CRSW).

Jessica says she is grateful for the caring community she found at Hope on Haven Hill. “I’m so glad I found Hope on Haven Hill, and that Hope on Haven Hill found me. They saved my life.”