Women face unique risks regarding opioid addiction, including medications like Percocet. They may become dependent on the drug within days or a few weeks. This is particularly true if they are facing mental health issues (National Institute on Drug Abuse). Women are also more likely to self-treat and misuse prescriptions opioids in order to ease feelings of depression, anxiety and tension (National Institute on Drug Abuse).
For Kali, these statistics aren't just numbers—they are lived experiences. Her story is a testament to the strength it takes to overcome addiction and rebuild a life from the ground up.
Kali’s Message:
I was 21-years old when I took my first Percocet. My world was falling apart around me. A co-worker noticed I was having a tough time. She gave me a pill and told me to try it. I liked how it made me feel, energized and relaxed. Pretty soon I was buying Percocet off the street.
All at once it seemed I was losing everything. My mother was very ill, and I moved back home. Mom was my biggest supporter in life. I grew up as a shy little girl with bouts of depression which still occur. I was a loner who never felt like she would fit in. When I had my daughter, mom took care of her so that I could continue to work. My mother took care of my daughter right up until the time she died.
Pretty soon I had to stop working. There was no one to take care of my daughter and I was unable to qualify for childcare. My drug use got worse. When I became dependent on Heroin and Fentanyl my father threw me out of the house. I lived in oblivion for 10 years. My daughter’s father took custody of her when she was six. Before that she would sometimes be on the street with me. I became so depressed and unhappy that I didn’t see any point to life and didn’t want to live. I was STUCK! I remember when I became pregnant with my son a few years ago, I couldn’t even find a warm spot to sleep outside. When he was born, my cousin took him from the hospital. I wasn’t able to find any way out of addiction.
I had been arrested before. But almost a year ago, when I went before a judge he must have seen something in me, some glimmer of hope, some light. Instead of sending me to jail, he wanted me to go to Amethyst, an Alvis Treatment Program for Women. That changed everything! There were a few times during the past 10 years I had gone into detox but nothing meaningful or long-term that could have really helped me to stay sober.
I have been at Amethyst for 9 months. It is my first time in a serious and structured treatment program. I am already feeling more confident and positive. I am beginning to know myself again. Being around other women who are doing good things and seeing the obstacles they have overcome helps me.
I am starting to rebuild my life and my relationships with my children. My daughter is now 12 and my son 13 months old. I am 31. I already have visitation rights with each of them and am working towards custody. I started taking classes at Columbus State and hope to earn a degree in Social Work. The biggest thing for me is that I think with my experience of addiction, being on the streets and having been trafficked, I can help other women and children who are now trying to recover.
I am doing all the things I had wanted to do that seemed like an impossibility before I went to Amethyst!