Madison McManus, 28, from New Jersey, the US, credits the support she has received from Alcoholics Anonymous after deciding in jail that she was sick of life on hard drugs
A mum hooked on crack and heroin at just 15-years-old overdosed 19 times before turning her life around.
Madison McManus, 28, from New Jersey in the US, is battling to win back custody of her nine-year-old daughter who she was forced to give up due to her horrendous addiction.
It was Madison’s boyfriend at the time who put her onto hard drugs as a teenager which saw her life spiral into six years of homelessness and crime.
The mum-of-one told DailyMail.com that Alcoholics Anonymous has helped get her life back together and wants others to know that there is a “solution to this disease”.
She said: “I was in my first rehab at the age of 15, dragging my family through my addiction and hurting them and others left and right.
“Until the age of 18, I would go to programs and get out and pick up again. My disease had me.
“When I was 18, I had nine months sober while I was pregnant with my daughter, who is now nine. Until now, that was my longest time not using.’
“I dropped out of school, I signed away temporary custody of my daughter, I just couldn’t stop using. I had no family in my life at this point, no friends, no soul, I was alone.
“I pushed everyone and everything away, and it began a six-year run homeless in a rough and dark city.
“The things that I dealt with and accepted in my active addiction could write a book.
“The disease had me in its grips for six years, holding me captive. I held so much shame and regret for losing my daughter, losing my family, and losing myself.”
When Madison hit rock bottom July 18, 2018, and got arrested, it was enough to shake her out of the rut she had been in and kickstart her road to recovery.
Sharing her story on the Facebook page The Addict’s Diary, she claims that “drug court saved my life” as she made the decision in jail that she was “done using drugs” and chose to go to rehabilitation.
She found support at Alcoholics Anonymous and managed to get herself together.
With the backing of her family and friends, Madison is now set on winning back her daughter.