Katie Cioth

I came from a ‘normal’ family with no background in drug addiction or mental health issues so when I started abusing drugs and alcohol at an early age, no one really knew how to help. By 18, I had been through multiple adolescent rehabs, and as a young adult, I fell into a fentanyl addiction and the consequences worsened. I became displaced, homeless, and turned to criminal activities to find a way out. After being faced with a decision to either get sober and live an honest life or go to prison, I found recovery. I didn’t ever see myself leaving the life I had or going more than a day without getting high. Yet, I began living in a way that I never thought was possible, or that I thought I would even want. One of my favorite aspects about my life in recovery is being able to pay it forward. I see myself working with transitional age youth and using my own experiences to show that recovery is possible. I want to help transform the way our current treatment centers operate—because I’ve lived through them, and I know they can be better.