Crystal B.

Life growing up was not easy. My mother abandoned me and my sister when I was five, and though my father tried, I ended up in foster care for the next 10–11 years. Moving from home to home and school to school, I couldn’t trust or build relationships with anyone. My addiction started at sixteen after my father died. I used heroin with my mother, and between the drugs and self-harm, my life quickly spiraled out of control. Curiosity turned into addiction, heroin led to cocaine, crack, meth, and eventually pills, which I abused freely. I tried Teen Challenge a few times, but never finished until I was pregnant with my first son. That time I graduated, stayed sober for a while, and had three more kids. But I kept drifting in and out of church, unstable and desperate for change. I knew Teen Challenge was my last hope, and the Home of Hope accepted us with open arms. Now, I hope to be deeply rooted in Christ so that no matter what life throws at me, I won’t be moved. I want to surrender everything to Him, restore my family, and live out God’s will, not my own.