My name is Saydee. I’m 25, and from Michigan. I started struggling with my mental health in middle school, and later I was diagnosed with anxiety, depression, PTSD, and borderline personality disorder. I started using at the age of 13 with my father. My brother and I never had stability, and when my dad got out of prison around that time, that’s how we bonded.

My addiction slowly escalated from alcohol and marijuana to pills and eventually to ice, H, and everything in between. I met someone I considered my soulmate when I was 16, and we were wrapped up in our addiction together. My addiction has taken my housing, pharmacy license, freedom, and people. Last year that soulmate of mine passed away from an overdose, and unfortunately, he doesn’t get to see me succeed.

After he died, I was ready to die myself. I went to detox the next day, then to rehab. I moved cities, got into intensive outpatient treatment, saw a physiatrist, and started exploring my hobbies. I now manage a sobriety house, volunteer for harm reduction wherever possible, work for community mental health, and try to spread my experience, strength and hope to the next person.