Our seventeenth spotlight in the FACES OF HOPE: WE DO RECOVER series will focus on Megan Coldiron’s story, BEAUTY FROM ASHES.
My name is Megan Coldiron. I am a person dedicated to long term recovery. In 2011 I was beaten and broken. I knew if I didn’t do something different and stop using drugs, I just couldn’t go on living any longer. I checked myself into rehab and during my second month there I found out I was pregnant. They told me I was a liability and they could not keep me. They told me if I didn’t find a place for pregnant women then they would have to put me back out on the street. By God’s grace there was a bed available at a treatment center for pregnant women. Due to this bed being open and the treatment I received there, my son who is now 4, has never had to see his mommy drink or do drugs. I am forever grateful that there was a place for me to go. I was blessed with a job after a year sober working as the Program Coordinator for Rowan County UNITE. I was able to give back to the community that I once tore through like a tornado. I now work for ARC, have custody of both of my children and married to the most loving and supportive man that I have ever known. It is through God’s grace and mercy that my life is now as amazing as it is. I thank the Lord every day for his divine intervention and the love that was shown to me in my darkest moments. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to carry the message of experience, strength and hope. To reach the one person in the audience that feels like they may be going through Addiction or the effects of Addiction alone. They are not alone and HOPE is here.
Describe your “aha” moment: I call it my moment of clarity. When I realized that somewhere deep inside of me God had so much more planned for me then the life I was living. It was the moment of desperation that met the moment of opportunity. I ran with it.
Describe the feelings and emotions during active addiction: In the beginning drugs numbed my every inner being. The point I realized I had to do something different was when they completely stopped working. The guilt and shame was too much to take. I had to find a way out. I was hopeless.
What is the driving force that keeps you going when times get tough? Being of service. There is not a doubt in my mind that being of service to others has saved me more times than I could ever account for. I realize today that being sober isn’t about thinking about me all the time. It is thinking of how I can be of service and help someone else. God’s purpose drives every part of me to become better.
What is something that you want people who have never dealt with addiction to know? PLEASE educate yourself on the disease of addiction. In order to have an accurate and educated conversation, then we must first educate ourselves. In my experience, it is not someone’s opinions that saved my life. It was education. Stepping out of the problem and into the solution.
What advice do you have for a person’s family that is still in active addiction? Do not stop praying. I have no doubt in my mind that I was prayed into the life that I have today. When I couldn’t pray for myself, my family stood in the gap. I will forever be grateful for that. Do not give up. There is hope.
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, please call Addiction Recovery Care at 606.638.0938 or visit them on the web at www.arccenters.com.
There is hope. There is help.
