New chances

Lisa became an active drug user after her mother introduced her to methamphetamines when she was nine. Both her mother and her step-father had been in and out of prison on drug-related charges. Although their home was spotless inside, there was a meth lab on the back porch and the home was frequented by dangerous people. Lisa was living an unsafe, unhealthy life.

Her mother set no boundaries and the situation escalated. Lisa was allowed to bring drug traffic to the house and no one stopped her from dating a 37 year old dealer. She got pregnant when she was 13 but the baby miscarried. This lifestyle set Lisa up with psychological problems along with the physical issues caused from drug addiction.

Lisa came to HopeSparks when she was 13. Her original treatment in the Functional Family Therapy program went well and she seemed on-track towards recovery. She was going to counseling and drug and alcohol treatment. And she was back in school and doing well. But suddenly Lisa disappeared - she'd gotten high with her step-father, overdosed and was hospitalized.

After recovering, Lisa went to live with her grandmother and with the help of the HopeSparks Kinship Care program her grandmother gained custody. The emergence of support and stability created positive changes. Lisa attended her counseling meetings religiously. Her body began to recover physically. She began to do well in school, which made Lisa happy because she had always recognized education as her way out. She celebrated critical milestones with her grandmother like getting her drivers license. Lisa even became the president of her Narcotics Anonymous group.

Today, Lisa has blossomed into an extremely smart, outgoing and loving girl. Lisa will struggle daily to make it through life's stress without escaping to drugs. But with the recommendations and continued support of the counselors at HopeSparks and with her amazing grandmother at her side, she will overcome future problems and continue to thrive.