Taylor's Journey Of Recovery

Please join Taylor on her journey of recovery. Many families who experience drug addiction will be very private about the cross they bare. This is done for a variety reasons; safety, denial and above all; shame. We have decided to not be private about it.Taylor entered this world a little early as a tiny fighter, she has a weak immune system but you'd never know that! She's got gorgeous red hair and a beautiful smile. She's tough as nails and beyond stubborn. She has a natural way with children, animals and laughs like none other. She's smart, she's kind and gives the best hugs. Taylor has spent the last year mentally and physically abused, alienated from her family and addicted to meth. Her low point was living in a car and having her infant removed from her care by CPS. This is a long way from the girl we knew that loved trips to California, and her designer jeans. She is currently in a 30 day inpatient program and we are asking for help as she enters an intensive 60 day outpatient program. The expense of treatment programs that are specialized is enormous. Meth is no joke. It's not the poor mans drug we think it is. We see pictures of sunken, scab ridden faces and we think "that person was doomed before they started". Meth isn't the poor mans drug, it's THE drug. A long term meth addict will tell you they've tried every drug and there is nothing like a meth high. They will do anything to have it. We don't talk about it and we don't understand it. We think 30 days clean and some meetings will fix it. It doesn't. Dopamine is what allows us to feel joy, pleasure and euphoria. Nicotine produces 100 units of dopamine, sex 200, cocaine 500 and meth - 1500!!!The chemical damage this drug causes the brain takes a long time to heal. The severe cravings meth addicts endure because of the sudden LACK of being able to feel joy are beyond measure. This is why the relapse rate is so daunting. As family members feel hopeless, imagine the addict battling the brain damage. They do not believe there is a way out of the darkness except to have a little more meth. We do not address what is chemically happening to our addicts brain and we do not provide them the support for the LENGTH OF TIME it takes the brain to actually repair. We hope we can change this line of thinking in the future. We are taking this journey of recovery with Taylor. Starting July 5th she will be living with very little comforts. Primitively at best. She will be reading 4 hours a day and then journaling about that for 2 hours. She will be exercising for 2 hours a day. She will be learning life skills that will prepare her for entering the "meth free world". She will have chores and responsibilities. She will be building her self esteem and repairing her brain. She will participate in counseling sessions and meditation therapy that allows her to confront her cravings and prepare for her suicidal thoughts. She will be monitored daily and supported in all she will endure during her brains struggle to heal. She will be videoing her progress, her thoughts and we will be editing this for future viewing. We hope that her timeline and her ability to be open about her journey of recovery will help other families support their loved one on their journey. Meth is everywhere. Statistically if you have 600 Facebook friends 3 of them are either a current meth addict or a recovering one.It's your neighbor, your friend, your coworker, your child. We need to bring awareness to this drug and the difference in the addiction. This drug is not organic and it is not metabolized by the body. It is chemical and it causes brain damage. Drug addiction - we never thought we would battle THAT in this family. But we are. This family doesn't run, it doesn't hide, it doesn't abandon its children. We face it head on and beat it. Thank you for any support. She needs all the love she can get !