“When I look back at 2020, it wasn’t a bad year. It was life changing for me.”

With no real support structure or authority figure in her life, Erica dropped out of school in 8th grade. A few years later, when her mother was $49 short on rent, they were evicted from their apartment and became homeless. At the age of 18, Erica moved from place to place with her mother seeking shelter anywhere they could find it. 

“The environment was bad. I tried to adapt to it, trying to fit in.”

That’s when her addiction to meth began. She said, “That drug destroyed my life.”

Erica tried numerous times to get clean. She entered different rehab programs, but always returned to the same people and the same bad habits. When she gave birth to her first baby, and the baby tested positive for meth, she managed to stay clean for a few weeks. But it didn’t last. After having another baby born positive for meth, she knew she had to make a change. She knew that one more dirty drug test would mean she would lose her girls permanently. 

After 25 days of staying clean in outpatient, she was able to enter the Cedar House residential program on February 28.

“I went in knowing I had to survive 90 days. I did it with my head held high.”

Erica maintained a positive attitude during treatment. She knew this time needed to be different. She learned that “30 days can change a habit, but 90 days can change your life.”

Six months later, Erica was reunited with her baby girls. Now, she lives in transitional housing and owns her own car. 

“I’m a whole person now. Cedar House taught me to move forward and accept the consequences.”

Erica has been clean for a year now. Yes, that means she got clean during the pandemic. What a remarkable challenge! It’s one that Cedar House has helped hundreds of people take on and conquer over the past 12 months. 

“I think it’s a blessing that Cedar House never closed because there are a million people out there in need.”