Sexual Assault: Aftermath and Recovery
American Addiction Centers (AAC) presents “Far From Finished,” a weekly podcast that shares the real-life stories of people who survived addiction to thrive in recovery. In Episode 33, Emily talks about being taken away from her mother at the age of 11, after which she began to mask her emotions by using marijuana, which ultimately led her to become a meth and heroin addict. In 2012, Emily was sexually assaulted and as a result she became pregnant. In and out of treatment, Emily continued to use while she was a young mother. Her drug use took her to such a low point that she had to sign away her rights to her son over to her family. For Emily, her sexual assault, coupled with giving away her child, took her down a path where she didn’t care where she woke up the next morning. Multiple stints in hospitals were her wake up call to get help. Taking the necessary steps in recovery that she hadn’t taken before, Emily now lives a life where she feels truly independent, a better life than she was living before — where she still has contact with her son and family, some of whom look up to her now for guidance.