Drug Stories Project

From her own experience, Angel Traynor knew that if you don’t give someone a structured place to go after treatment and send them back into their old environment instead, they are at a high risk to relapse.

So she stepped in with Serenity Sistas housing, a safe haven for up to 47 people in recovery.

Everyone's journey of recovery is different but finding the strength, courage and hope to share your feelings is integral to living life to the fullest without drugs and alcohol. In South Florida, musician Terry Brent leads clients through a song-writing, recording and performing process that boosts them on their personal journey. Featuring the song, Piece of My Heart, by S.

At age 37, after 20 years of battling the disease of addiction, Karen McGinnis found a reason to make a change and make it work -- the birth of her son. Now in long-term recovery, she says, "I’m a single, independent, fully self-supporting woman today. And it’s the most liberating thing I’ve ever experienced because there was a time in my life where I took advantage of the system. And I have overcome all of that."

Grief is an individual experience. When the Manloves' son, David, died from a drug-related event, Kim's feelings of guilt and shame overwhelmed him  -- but it did not divide him from his wife, and together they have found acceptance.

Mariel Hafnagel is the Executive Director of the Ammon Foundation. In longterm recovery since 2007, she knows the disease of addiction well. Grace and luck and a lot of compassionate support changed her life.

In 2007, Dr. Faye Jamali broke her wrist.  What happened in the next few months jeopardized her career as an anesthesiologist and made her understand pain in a new way.

As an emergency medical technician, Dakota Ayers has seen a lot of pain and illness, much of it related to opioid addiction. When he responds to call, his job is to provide care and transportation on the way to the hospital. He's not there to judge.

Bob Nicklas: A Lucky Man by Drug Stories Project

In the late 1990s, Lisa Curtin's mother read about a new drug called Oxycontin, and then nothing was ever the same for Lisa or her family.

Jenny Beetz loved how heroin made her feel, but she appreciates the stability of her life without it.