Maddie, 29

To Maddie, creativity, faith, and healing go hand-in-hand. Three years ago she started a recovery journey, now she is more than 45 days sober.

Maddie describes herself as a naturally free spirit. But before recovery, that freedom came at a cost. “As the carefree person I am, I really didn't have a care before recovery,” she recalls. “As much fun as it could be, it was dark. It was fun until it wasn’t.”

A turning point came when the consequences of hiding her substance use caught up with her. “I was spending almost $200 a day and hurting other people, but I couldn’t see that,” she says. “I was putting my family in terrible situations because I wasn’t telling the truth, and it blew up in my face.” But instead of giving up, Maddie chose to start again.

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are more people out there willing to help you than you think.”

After years of struggling with substance use and watching it impact her loved ones, she sought treatment. “Addiction runs in my family and I watched my mom, my aunt, friends, and people close to me suffer,” she says. “I realized it was generational and that it’s going to stop with me.”

Maddie found her footing through journaling, therapy, NA meetings, and church. “Writing gives me freedom. It’s just you, the pen, and the pad,” she says. Her creative spirit — through poetry, music, photography, and the arts — now fuels her vision for the future. She’s working with her aunt to launch a tea shop, The Tea Trap, inspired by her recovery journey. “Withdrawing was really hard for me, and I had to find something that soothed my stomach,” she recalls. “Hot tea helped me feel better, and inspired The Tea Trap.”

For Maddie, reaching 30 days of sobriety was a major milestone. “It showed me that my strength doesn’t have to be defined by addiction,” she says. “I can take accountability and apologize to my family, and show them I’m on a path forward. I’m capable of more than I ever imagined.”

Maddie’s advice to others struggling with substance use is to stay the course. “Wake up every day knowing it’s a new chance,” she says, “You always have a choice, and you should always try to make the right one. Don’t cheat yourself out of the steps. Recovery is a grind, but it will make you strong.”

She adds that support is always out there — and it’s essential. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are more people out there willing to help you than you think,” she says. “I didn’t know it when I was deep in addiction, but I had support from my family all along. If I didn't have my sister, to be specific, I don't know where I would be. My sister is my strength.”