This is my story. In 9 Days I will be getting off Suboxone. For those of you who dont know what suboxone is, it’s a medication to help people get clean from opiates. When you stop opiates you get withdrawals and those withdrawals effect you physically and mentally. Suboxone made it so I didn’t go through those withdrawals and also took the cravings away. I have struggled with heroin addiction since I was 15. FIFTEEN! I am 24 now. How I got on heroin, well this is my story. I was 15 and “in love” I had been dating this guy who was also my age since I was 13. When we were 15 he was abusive which sounds strange for a 15 year old but he was abusive mentally and physically. We dated 7 years and he was also a chronic cheater. But at 15, he was always hanging out with this girl named Kayce. And he would leave me at his house for HOURS while he was gone with her. And I hated it. One day I went through his phone and saw that he would leave me to go hang out with her to go get Oxycontin and I was so desperate for him to love me more I told him I would do Oxy with them if he just let me come along. I had NO IDEA where that decision would take me. I was so naive. Until I was 16, I was hooked on OxyContin but at 16 it was so expensive I went to heroin. And by 17 I was shooting it. You’re probably thinking where are you parents?! They had no idea what I was doing. My bf at the time, his mom was very irresponsible and would lie to my mom for me about things. I maintained a job and payed my bills because I knew my parents would find out what I was doing if I wasn’t working, paying my bills, and going to school. When my parents finally found out they sent me to rehab but being at 18 I checked myself out. I put my parents through hell with this.. they fought so hard for me. They did everything in their power to help me get clean and they also sent me to rehab a handful of times. I’m so thankful they never gave up on me. In April of 2013 I joined the Suboxone program, and I met the most amazing doctors and councilors and they helped change my life. The first year I was on Suboxone I failed every drug test each week for a year. They were supposed to kick me out after a few failed drug tests but they saw something in me and never gave up. They thought if they kicked me out of the program I would die. After a year I finally decided to say that enough is enough. I’m gonna give Suboxone a chance. And I did. And today I have a wonderful boyfriend who’s never done a single drug in his life, my family can finally relax and not worry about getting a phone call about me being dead somewhere, I’m almost finished with school to be an elementary teacher, something I’ve always dreamed of but knew it would never happen if I didn’t get clean. My ex boyfriend is still on heroin but I haven’t talked to him in a couple years. I pray one day he’ll find the light like I have. God has truly blessed me with an amazing life and I can’t believe I was going to give it all away for heroin. I wouldn’t change the fact that I struggled with heroin addiction because it has made me such a strong and unique person. Anyone who has fought this battle knows the mental struggle it puts you through, the depression, everything was so terrible and today I am still that person who struggled but I overcame that and I’m a better person for it. I’m just thankful for my family and the Suboxone program for never giving up on me. So January 1st, my New Years resolution will be to get off Suboxone. I will go through some minor withdrawal but I’m ready for it!! I’m read to close that whole chapter of my life that changed the course of my life since I was 15. I’m ready to move on. And if you’ve read this far, wow thank you! Haha