Cassie sat in her cell, humming a Matchbox Twenty song, tapping her toes against the stone wall. When she hears “Unwell” on the radio, she is immediately taken back to a wild crowd, thumping music, and a bottle of Loritabs dropped by a fan on crutches. Cassie was introduced to drugs the way many teens are. She used them recreationally in high school as an escape from the intense pressures of academic work. From there, she dabbled in other substances but ultimately reached an age where it just wasn’t fun anymore. She became an adult, got married, and had a beautiful little girl whose smile could surpass any euphoria delivered by her old hobby.
However, Cassie’s life changed when she was prescribed Methadone for a connective tissue disease. That old pastime of drugs and partying became a crippling anchor on the adult life she had built. The temporary high of substance abuse quickly became her safe harbor from disease and a crumbling marriage. Cassie chased her addiction until everything she loved left her. Her daughter was taken away. Her possessions were sold to buy heroin. Her relationships were frayed, and she found herself in jail. It seemed to Cassie that, despite her best efforts to be happy, she had found a road to despair and loneliness.
A preacher visited Cassie’s cell. He spoke plainly to her; he didn’t judge her previous transgressions. She bounded into withdrawals but emerged from her cell four days later, reborn. She still had to work hard to keep her sobriety, but now she had a true foundation to build on.
Cassie shares her story wherever she can in hopes of offering help and hope to anyone who is struggling. She lives with gratitude to God and to all those who prayed for her and helped her find her new life of hope and healing.
