09/13/2024
What an amazing young woman.
⭐️Recovery Month Spotlight: Julia Perry
“In my year and 3 months of working at DeCoach, I’ve been asked countless times about my age—what brought me to this field at just 19 years old? The truth is, I’ve been around addiction my entire life. From the moment I was born, drug use was present. Both of my parents were deep into their addiction before I even came into this world. My childhood was spent in the backseat of cars while drug deals went down and I found myself cleaning up prepped needles. I watched my father overdose twice and more than I’d like to admit. It broke my heart but it also broke me.
My own drug use began when I was just 12, smoking w**d after school as a way to escape the pain of my family life. By 8th grade, I was taking Adderall, and I fell into a dangerous cycle of addiction. Freshman year, it escalated to oxy, Percocet, and mostly Xanax. I was in a cycle that I had seen so much, but couldn’t escape. I didn’t know how.
By my junior year, I hit rock bottom. After days of withdrawal and isolation, I tried to end my life on September 14, 2021. Thankfully, I had a moment of clarity and reached out to my therapist, who saved my life.
After seven days inpatient, I was put on medication that truly changed my life. I went straight into detox and completed 6 months of intensive treatment, followed by outpatient services.
I’ve been in recovery ever since! That day I left the hospital, I made a promise to myself that I would never become that person again.
Last October, I lost a close friend to a fentanyl overdose. His name was Fox. He had an appointment to come to DeCoach on October 24th, but he passed away before he made it.
That loss ignited a fire🔥 in me that will never go out.
Every day I come to work and I know that I could be saving someone’s life. My job gives me purpose, motivation, and fulfillment. If my words can help someone step off that ledge, I know I’m doing what I was meant to do.”
Let’s show Julia some love for sharing about her life, her struggles, and her recovery. Addiction doesn’t care how old you are, who your parents are, or what you do for a living. It doesn’t discriminate…
It’s not an easy thing to share so openly with the world, but we’re incredibly proud of Julia for being so open and honest. We’re also proud she’s on our team.
She is the DeCoach Difference. 💯
