IN HER OWN WORDS

B's Story

The first time I found myself in a trafficking situation was when I was about 16 years old. The men I surrounded myself with were way older and got me addicted to drugs. It was at that time I started doing whatever I needed to stay high and drown out my pain.
 
I woke up to a nightmare everyday—feeling dirty, scared, gross, and sad. It was like someone was standing on my chest, and I couldn’t move. I was completely and utterly in the chains of addiction and under his control.
 
One day a man stopped, and I got into his truck. He took me back to his hotel, where I expected another date. This time, we started to talk; and the more I told him, the more he told me I didn’t belong there. This man drove me to the airport and got me out of the hell I was in. I had finally escaped.
 
I spent eight months in an inpatient treatment facility, and when I was finished, I knew I would never go back to the life I was living before.
 
I am purchasing my childhood home, where I get to create new, beautiful, and sober memories for my babies. When I think about what I want in the future, I just want true happiness and peace. I want to be the mother to my children that I needed when I was little.