It’s been four years since Dejah Hall broke a deadly spell that’s gripped millions of Americans each year. Today, you’d hardly recognized her.
The Glendale, Arizona, mother recently opened up about her past addiction to meth and heroin and how she turned her life around in an inspiring Facebook post that’s gone viral.
“Today marks 4 years clean from heroin and meth,” the 26-year-old posted on Facebook earlier this month with three before-and-after photos that show the effect drugs had on her physically.
”The top left is me in full blown addiction,” she wrote. “I was a terrible IV user and like most, progressively got worse. The bottom left is me the day I was arrested 12-6-12 and coincidentally the day I finally surrendered to God!”
Speaking to ABC 15 News, Hall shared how it was a promise to her now late grandfather to get clean on his birthday that turned her life around.
“My grandfather was sitting in his wheelchair, and he looked at me and said, ‘You’re hurting me, Dejah,’” she recalled.
“I went to the bathroom, and I looked at myself and I really looked at who I had become. This disgusting person who needed to continue to stick these drugs in their veins because I couldn’t function,” she said.
Shortly after returning to her grandfather and promising that she’d get clean, Hall was arrested on felony drug warrants. Behind bars, she resolved to get clean for good, she said.
“I quit cold turkey in jail. I had a choice ― you can still get drugs in jail ― but I was done,” she told London’s Mail Online.
It’s been four years since she made that promise to her grandfather, and herself. Since then she’s had a little girl and started pursuing a bachelor’s degree with the goal of becoming a prison minister.
“Everyday I thank God that I am not where I once was,” she wrote on Facebook before adding the hashtags #Sobriety is #Possible.
As Hall pointed out, it wasn’t just a physical transformation she underwent but a spiritual one as well.
“I was an atheist before coming to Christ,” she told The Huffington Post on Thursday by email. “I knew that only supernatural power would pull me from the imminent hell that was approaching. Religion has not saved me, my RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ has saved me and that is the most important thing in all of this.”
Though Hall admitted that sharing her personal story with the public has been “overwhelming,” she said that she hopes it will help others.
“I have read some evil comments and they have hurt my heart, however, I know God is using my pain to reach others and I know that I am strong enough to endure it,” she said.
“Never give up on yourself. Forgiveness of ourselves is essential in our recovery process.”
- Dejah Hall
Asked what advice she has for others who are where she use to be, she answered: “Ask for help, go to church, confront your demons one by one, get to a [Narcotics Anonymous] or [Alcoholics Anonymous] meeting, get a sponsor, work your steps, and never give up on yourself. Forgiveness of ourselves is essential in our recovery process.”
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more than 7 million Americans battled drug abuse in 2014.
If you’re in need of help with substance abuse or mental health issues, call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline.
If you’d like to learn more about addiction or how to help others, check out the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s website or SAMHSA’s website.
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