FLORENCE, Ky. — For Hannah Thomson, addiction was a family affair. Growing up with a mother and sister who used drugs made substance abuse feel normal, leading her down a similar path.
"When I was growing up, my mom was also using too, so it's basically like kind of been something in my family that's happened all the time, so I just kind of followed suit, I guess," Thomson said.
What began as experimentation with marijuana, Xanax and alcohol eventually escalated to methamphetamine use.
"I guess, just seeing everybody lose the weight, you know, that's kind of what I wanted, and why I started using," Thomson said.
Initially seen as a way to boost her self-esteem, substance abuse quickly took control of Thomson's life. She attempted to quit on her own but struggled to maintain sobriety.
"I tried to stop using by myself one time, and I lasted like 12 days, but I just realized that I'm out of I'm off the chain right now, like I have got to stop," Thomson said.
See Tomson's journey from addiction to healing in the video below:
It wasn't until she was arrested that she experienced her moment of clarity.
"And I think that was like my aha moment being arrested and praying in the jail cell, just praying that they'll let me out and let me come back here," Thomson said.
Thomson's mother reached out to the Brighton Recovery Center for Women, a nonprofit in Boone County that helps women ages 18 and older recover and rebuild their lives.
Jane Hamilton, who works at the center, explained their approach to recovery.
"They start off, they don't leave property, they don't see their family. That's only for two weeks. But then we slowly reintegrate them. When they leave our program. We never call it graduation, because they don't actually complete our program. They finish, they move off property, but we approve their plan to move off to make sure they aren't going back to the same environment to make sure that they are still where we can wrap around them," Hamilton said.
Hamilton noted that many women initially resist connecting with others in the program but eventually forge deep bonds.
"They find out that these are the women that they will walk the journey of life with when they leave here. So absolutely, it's community, it's belonging, it's place of feeling supported and safe," Hamilton said.
Thomson used that support system to reclaim her life. Now, she works at Brighton Center as a recovery services supervisor, helping other women find healing for themselves and their families.
Her recovery journey has also repaired her relationship with her mother, who is now sober as well.
"Me and her are very close now, like our relationship is never been like this. She, you know, neglected me when I was younger, and now we're just best friends," Thomson said.
