[0:04] I've worked in downtown Anoka and lived [0:06] in Anoka County my entire adult life. [0:10] In 1998, I was on my way to work one [0:14] morning and a person ran a red light and [0:17] hit me and I cracked the windshield with [0:20] my head and sustained a couple herniated [0:22] discs in my low [music] back. I was [0:24] prescribed Tylenol with coding, which [0:27] was not a big deal until it was. [0:31] I got pregnant with twins in 2007, [0:35] [music] [0:36] and I went into pre-term labor uh at 22 [0:39] and 1/2 weeks. I gave birth to my uh [0:43] twins, and they died a few hours later. [0:46] And uh after that, I started using the [0:49] narcotics to deal with my grief. [music] [0:53] I am a parallegal. I'm also a musician. [0:56] I play poker music. [music] I believe in [0:58] God. I go to church. I try to do good [1:01] things. I didn't ask for this to happen [1:03] to me. [1:07] A doctor would prescribe me 30 a month, [1:10] 60 a month, 120 a month. My refills kept [1:13] coming sooner and sooner, all from the [1:16] same doctor. [1:20] It was a cycle. [1:22] I couldn't seem to stop. The pills [1:25] became more important than anything else [1:28] in my life. [1:31] So, my rock bottom was on June [music] [1:33] 22nd, 2016. [1:36] I broke into a friend's house looking [1:38] for pills. [music] I didn't think I [1:40] would make it through the night without [1:42] pills. I thought I would die. [1:46] Several months after that, I was [1:48] arrested. [music] I was charged uh with [1:50] seconddegree burglary. [1:53] I uh plead guilty to a felony. Uh when I [1:58] was arrested, [1:59] the police [music] made a comment that I [2:02] wasn't what they expected for a [2:04] secondderee burglar. It can happen to [2:07] anyone. [2:09] Addiction does not discriminate. [music] [2:13] I said those three words that are so [2:16] important. [music] [2:17] I need help. [2:20] And that's when [music] my life turned [2:22] around. [2:29] I have two children. My son Christopher [2:32] grew up playing poker music right [2:33] alongside of me [music] and it's [2:35] something that we can do together that [2:36] we really, really enjoy. We've got [2:39] [singing] the blues on the [2:42] >> What has helped me to be sober today is [2:46] working a 12step program, working with [2:49] other women, [music] being out in the [2:51] community, helping wherever I can. When [2:55] I graduated Hazelton, [music] I went [2:58] through a 4-month outpatient treatment [3:01] program. It's okay [music] if this has [3:03] happened to you. You're not alone. There [3:06] is someone out there that will help you. [3:08] Just like there was [music] someone out [3:09] there who helped me. [3:11] I believe there is hope. There's more [3:14] hope today than there was 10 years ago.