The Day I Was Set Free, by Brittany

The Day I Was Set Free, by Brittany

The Day I Was Set Free, by Brittany

I remember the day.

The air was cool and crisp against my skin; it was spring time in Detroit. I woke up early, maybe 7am – made coffee for the family and started getting ready. At this point I had a routine. Everyday I would get up, go to a 10am meeting, go to the gym then finish my day at work. But this day was different somehow. It was beautiful outside, not a cloud in the sky, the sun was shining and it was warm on my skin. I had the music turned up and the sunroof open. Everything felt so intense – the wind on my hair, the sun against my skin, the cool breeze on my face, the colors of the leaves finally coming back after a long winter.

I went to my meeting as usual. I saw everyone I always see there and they congratulated me on having 5 months. I went to the gym and I was so pumped to get a good workout in. I finished up, went home and then worked from 4-midnight.

I remember locking up the gym when my shift ended. I looked down at the keys in my hand. I immediately started crying, I don’t know what came over me but I couldn’t control it. Just the thought alone that someone trusted ME, of all people, with keys to their business that they worked so hard for.

I sat there for a few minutes overwhelmed with gratitude. These blessings and promises everyone always talked about were coming true.

For so long, I wasn’t even allowed at family gatherings because everyone was afraid I would steal from their purses and coats. My mom would sleep with her purse and car keys under her pillow. My baby sister would hide her piggy bank from me. Anytime anyone knew I was coming over, all valuables got locked up and they counted their money before to make sure the same amount was there once I left. I legitimately frightened people. Whether it was the 85 pound skeleton with no personality that they were looking at or the fact that I would get violent the second someone argued or disagreed with me, my friends and family lived in fear daily for 7 long years.

This was the day that I realized I had changed, I had grown up, I became a strong woman in sobriety. This was the day I began to appreciate the little things – the birds chirping, the stars shining in the darkness. The freedom I found that day is indescribable.

To some, this story may seem small and insignificant. To me, this is the day I realized I had finally taken my life back. It was the day I decided to not live in fear. This was the start of a life I could have never imagined when I was running the streets of Detroit, when I was homeless in 4 different states, putting tens of thousands of dollars into my veins.

The one thing I have prayed for since I was 14 years old was peace and happiness. Real, pure, honest happiness. This was the day I found that.

Brittany Sherfield

You can follow Katie and her daughter Brittany on Facebook @katieandbrittanysaddictionjourney.

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, we have resources that can help you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out for a confidential heart to heart.
katie@amothersaddictionjourney.com

17 Comments

  1. Cassidy

    I needed this today.. Thank you.

    1. Katie

      It’s Britt – I hope you are still doing well. I am here if you need anything. brittany@amothersaddictionjourney.com

  2. Kady Helms

    That is absolutely amazing. I too remember my day of freedom, and everything felt SO intense. It was very overwhelming. All things fall together with time. Freedom from addiction is a miracle. I had someone once tell me, it’s impossible, nobody makes it out of a heroin addiction. I looked at them and said, that isn’t true, because I did and I continue to. Congratulations! I love following your guys blog. Stories like yours and mine really do change lives, and lately I’ve been seeing it and hearing about how my sharing has done that for others. I am so happy for you having found that freedom!

    1. Katie

      Thank you so much and congratulations to you as well! – Brittany

  3. Sparrow

    Beautiful testimony!!! What a great way to share with others…………. There is Always Hope!!!!! We serve an AWESOME God?

  4. Lillian Jacobson

    Thanks for sharing this. This inspires me not to give up on my daughter. I look forward to the day, she writes a similar testimony of freedom.

    God Bless You,
    Lillian Jacobson

    1. Ember Burnham

      Never give up on your daughter.. I don’t know how bad the situation is but every child needs there mother I am someone’s daughter also a recovering addict.. Believe me when I say this she will remember who stuck by her .. I have been clean for 2 years my mom showed me tuff love but NEVER gave up on me ..I pray for you and your family and your daughter..❤❤?

    2. Katie

      Never give up Lil ❤

  5. Ember Burnham

    Honey ,I hope you get this Brittney’ …I can feel everything your talking about!! It is beutiful !! I’m so happy and proud of you even though I don’t know you ! ,,,But addiction is so evil ..I am my self in recovery ..It’s a.scary battle …But my family is so worth it I have been clean off dope for 2 years it’s been a long hard road ..I understand you more than you know …I just wanted to let you know how much this has touched me to were I had to hold my tears in from everything you were saying …. The pain the happiness everything,!❤ Being in recovery is always so hard and scary ..I know now I will always be a recovering addict scary as hell I wish I could rewind time and take it all back to the first day I tried pills to cover my pain …It went from pills to heroin . Never thought in a million years ! I never hurt anyone. Are anything for my addiction but myself! But I’m clean now…And thank God everyday that I’m alive and I have my husband and kids to keep me going and keep me strong and straight!! Thank u for listening …Keep up the good work..

    1. I am so proud of you! It is a long, terrifying road but god does it feel good to be clean. Thank you so much for all of your kind words and I wish you nothing but the best!

    2. Katie

      Hi it’s Brittany! Thank you so much! It is a hard road but would I take any of it back? No. It made me the woman I am today. I wouldn’t have the courage to speak out had I not gone through all of this. You are a warrior and I am always here rooting for you!

  6. Roberta Horner

    I am the mother of an addict and want for her to see that come everyday is a struggle I fear the worst thank you for sharing your journey

  7. Deana

    You’re a beautiful girl with a beautiful soul Brittany! You stood tall and strong and took your LIFE BACK!
    You’re amazing, you’re worthy, you are a shining example of determined strength.

    I’ll never give up on my daughter. My soul is shattered beyond repair, but I’ll never stop praying and hoping she finds her inner light. Somehow, some day, some way…

    1. Katie

      This is Brittany – Deana I am an interventionist, recovery coach and my mom is a family coach. If you need anything at all – guidance, support, to talk, sessions, healing, ANTHING, please reach out to us. It is time for Deana to be whole again.

  8. Corrine Cook

    I needed to read this tonight!! Thank you and congratulations!! I can’t wait for my day of freedom!! I hope it happens soon!! God bless you and your family!!??????

  9. caty lane

    Hello Katie and Brittany… you are so so well deserving lucky fortunate blessed . I wish it was that way for my daughter. She has never been able to stay off opioids and alcohol. She is currently on methadone maintenance. It has been 2 years this time and she has earned her way up to now we only have to drive twice a week to Daytona Beach…. she gets take-home doses. She can’t drive right now because it’s too expensive she needs to have the breathalyzer device on her vehicle and we have to buy a vehicle first then get the insurance to pay for the monthly fee for the device and then wait for her to get into the next accident that will inevitably happen because it has been this way for 20 years and why would it be any different now . Might as well save the money and not get a car and just drive her around for the rest of my life and look at it as if I am saving the life of other families because she is not driving on the road .
    I don’t even wear know where to begin with the story but what I can tell you is that if I can just find someone who has successfully weaned off of methadone maintenance treatment and I can release my daughter to them and just have a couple of months to myself it will save my life .
    I am a busy vacation rental manager I live where I work I work 24 hours a day I have demanding guesets and owners and on top of that I have to worry every day if my daughter is going to overdose again on one of her take-homes. she does this to get high and then she runs out of the take-homes and the last two days that she doesn’t have anything she has to get some medication from the streets or she has to buy a bottle of tequila or some booze to keep her highfor the days of withdrawl of the methadone .

    I know I’m rambling here but if you heard my story he would wonder how it is that I am still alive but I still alive to keep her alive . If you were to meet her today this very moment you look at her and not know that she was in recovery other then she has bad teeth because of the methamphetamines and things she’s done in her life but that for some reason she does not want to me to help her with the money to get her teeth whitened I don’t understand that she is embarrassed she does not want to get her teeth whitened it doesn’t make any sense .

    I have to quickly write this because everything in my life I have to do really super fast because I have to move onto the next thing and I don’t have any time for myself you should see my bedroom it’s just a complete disaster… I don’t do drugs I don’t do anything I just work work all the time and worry and check Facebook to see if my daughter has been on and I can tell if she hasn’t been on for 14 hours I know that she’s on some weird bender and or something weird is going on I just know it .

    I hope that and wish that someone came to me and said that life is possible and yes there is a way that she can take care of herself and that I don’t have to sit around waiting for the other shoe to drop .
    Sometimes there are even days that I just pray that I can just have 48 hours to myself without any or fear but it never feels just what I think everything‘s fine my daughter will message me on messenger and say she ran out of cigarettes or something will make me get up and drive over to take care of something… it never ever ever fails .

    I need to find out if there’s any possibility at all if she can actually go with out after weaning off of methadone if there’s a way that this can happen I am 57 years old and I am slowly dying from grief but no one would ever know because I have the happiest face you should see me I am a super host on Airbnb and you can see all of my great five star reviews for Hacienda tosyl I need to find out if there’s any possibility at all if she can actually go with out after weaning off of methadone if there’s a way that this can happen I am 57 years old and I am slowly die from grief but no one would ever know because I have the happiest face you should see me I am a super host on Airbnb and you can see all of my great five star reviews for the complex.

    This past week my daughter was given six take-homes Because of the Thanksgiving holiday because of Thanksgiving holiday and we have still two more days to go through me to find out if she actually has already used them all up . Which means that today and tomorrow will be hell. I’ll find out soon in a couple of hours thank you for listening thank you for reading . So sorry for any typos I’m actually audio texting on my iPad because I don’t have the time to type everything out but I hope you can understand what my question is has anyone ever done anyone to be on methadone maintenance treatment that could actually wean off of it and be OK .
    Cate

  10. Derek

    I too know the feeling of being the one that everyone is afraid of. Especially the stealing and no personality part. I haven’t stole in over 2 years but many relapses and loss of jobs etc. from my addiction. My heart hurts so much for you as it does myself but this is not the end. I wish you the best!!

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