Determined to Succeed WWIV client turns her life around after years of addiction Perseverance and resilience are virtues many people take for granted. But for someone struggling with addiction, they can be difficult to grasp. After years of battling her addiction, Women Walking in Victory (WWIV) client Telsa Wills found those virtues in herself and knows firsthand how vital they can be for a successful recovery. Wills’ drug use started at a young age and would continue into adulthood, partying and hanging out with the wrong crowd. But it wouldn’t be long before she started seeing repercussions. “I’d been in my addiction since I was 14, I’m 49 now,”Wills says. “This is the longest I’ve been out of jail.” Her addiction to crack led to shoplifting, identity fraud and incarceration. But in a moment of darkness, she found a reason for hope and a strength to do what she hadn’t been able to before. “There came a time when I was locked up this last time, I had this overbearing feeling that I can’t keep going on like this,”Wills says. “I just refused to get high again.”
A long-awaited transformation Wills came to WWIV in May of 2014 and says the support she received from staff made a difficult transition much easier. She credits the individualized treatment program with helping her get past the hurdles in her life and finally achieve sobriety. “This program has really helped me because there were days that I didn’t think I would get through,” Wills says. “I thought that I wasn’t going to get nowhere, and in the end, I’m seeing things and doing things that I never thought I would do.” Since getting sober, Wills has been able to reconnect with family who grew distant during her addiction. She says rebuilding those relationships has been extremely rewarding, but in order for treatment to work, Wills says you have to be willing to make the change for yourself. “You have to be ready to do it within your heart to make a change,” Wills says. “You can’t straddle the fence.” “This program has really helped me because there were days that I didn’t think I would get through.” – Telsa Wills, WWIV client
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