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                                                                 into recovery from your alcohol or drug addiction.



                                                          Not so "hopeless Latoya"

Latoya used to rome the streets of Evanston Illinois day and night, looking haggard and in search for only one thing, crack cocaine. She was often times so desperate for her crack that if you did not believe her lies and give her money then she would just break down crying and beg you for enough money to get another bag of the stuff. Even when the Howard street was deserted you would still find Latoya as the only one out there begging conning and stealing just to get her next bag of rocks. Latoya was good friends with Tonia, another woman chronicled in our story section here on New Journey Recovery. It was clear that Latoya was what seemed to be a most hopeless cause. I saw nothing but complete self destruction in her future. She was way worse than Tonia. In trying to help Tonia I would always urge her to just please stay away from Latoya. Not in a million years did I ever think it possible that Latoya would find recovery. But she did. Latoyas mom was caring for her two young children while Latoya was lost in the streets to her addiction to crack cocaine. One day Latoys children were found left home alone and the state took her children away. It was determined by the state that unless Latoya entered re-hab she would permanently lose custody of her children. A miracle and a blessing then came, Latoya left the howard street area of Evanston and entered a long term treat ment and rehabilitation center funded by the state of Illinois. Not in a million years would I ever have thought that "hopeless Latoya" would ever find recovery from her ravaging addiction. Her story taught me a very important lesson, that no one is truly hopeles and even the worst addicts can and could get help and straighten out their lives. For sure I had thought that Tonia would have found recovery before Latoya ever would. Addiction is a hard guessing game. even when I was in the throws of my heavy boozing I too felt that I would be a heavy drinker the rest of my life. So I too even surprised myself. The lesson here is that there is plenty of hope for the hopeless. Never give up on anyone who is addicted to drugs or alcohol. The main resons that motivated Latoya to give up her addiction to crack cocaine was the threat of losing her children to foster care along with her decisions to agree to enter rehab and the fact that she completely left the area where she drugged for years. She left her old enviroment and eliminated the main triggers in her everyday schedule which allowed her to have an easier time in her new life and remain drug free. When people in the inner city are raised in poverty and despair it is extremely difficult to break that cycle of being surrouned by hopelessness.