A Good Life After Being an Addict or Alcoholic Is the Norm

AUDIO – WE DO RECOVER –

Jan. 15, 2022 – Americans often see the more destructive side of addiction, drug crime, people slumped in doorways and family members who are spiraling downward. Less visible are the people who survive the illness and rebuild their lives.

“We are literally surrounded by people who are in recovery from a substance-use disorder, but we don’t know it,” Kelly said.

Anna Mable-Jones of Laurel, Md., is one of those success stories. In college, she began experimenting with crack cocaine.

“That just took me for a total downward spiral,” the now-56-year-old said. Mable-Jones lost a decade to addiction, entering rehab and relapsing repeatedly. It was a terrifying time for her and her family.

“My mother [started] calling the morgues,” she recalled. “She’d call my sister and say … ‘I haven’t heard from Anna.’ “

But in a pattern researchers say is common, Mable-Jones’ illness eventually eased. She found treatment that worked and has lived drug-free for more than 20 years.

“Things that I thought I would never gain again, through the process of recovery I have them all,” she said. “Today I’m a homeowner, I own a car, I started my own business.”