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HopeNetworks Louisiana Recovery Day Steering committee member
and community partner, sends powerful messages that indeed Real
Women Recover, and in turn pass on hope to countless others!
Read more on
Melanise's work today
Hi my name
is Melanise; today I am a productive, positive, contributing
member of
society. I’m a wife, a mother, and a daughter to my
mother. I’m a
trusting, reliable friend that has learned the art of being
responsible. I am also an Entrepreneur, an Advocate for
those who suffer with the disease of addiction and an Ambassador
for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
 In 1987 I became addicted to
crack cocaine, within 60-90 days my addiction cost me my job,
within 90- 180 days my addiction cost me my home, within 180-270
days my family was still a little hopeful but afraid and
distant. After a year my family severed their relationship with
me, or should I say I severed my relationship with them. The
little pride, dignity and self-respect I started out with was
totally diminished and no one including me ever expected I’d
make it out alive. I soon began stealing from any and everyone
that would let me within 10 feet of them. It was like one day I
was living this semi-normal life and the next I was homeless, addicted
and alone. When I ran out of people and places to steal
from I started prostituting myself to support my addiction. Life
on the streets didn’t leave room for much else. I slept
when I could, where I could and the same rule applied for
eating, whenever and where ever. I didn’t bathe much if
any for long periods of time and as a result of my poor personal
hygiene I lost my hair and my teeth. I was raped twice and
I convinced myself that I deserved it because of the life I was
living and I found out in recovery that no one ever deserves
that. I’ve been beaten physically, emotionally and
spiritually
and yet out of all the horror and pain I experienced in that
situation the thing I remember the most is the people I left
behind. Eventually I was arrested and put on probation for IWC
– issuing worthless checks, of course as a result of my
addiction I violated my probation and found myself incarcerated
again.
This time I was looking at serving 63 years in a Federal
Prison, because not only had I continued to issue worthless
checks, but I had also forged them. (That was not good). Yet,
because of the good life I had been living in jail for the past
4 months, that’s right I said the good life. Baths, food, sleep,
a roof over my head, you know, the things we do everyday that we
take for granted. Since experiencing those luxuries, I was all
right with being there the rest of my life. I realized while
incarcerated that I didn’t want to live like an animal anymore
and jail became a safe, warm, loving environment for me. I’m
not talking about being a relationship with another prisoner;
I’m talking about the relationship I formed with the officers.
Anyway, before I had any type of personal relationship with God
for myself, He was working things out for me. I went from being
on my way to prison for the rest of my life, to spending 4 ½
months in Slidell City Jail where I was released on September 9,
1991 and admitted into Christian Community Youth Against Drugs
Foundation. I remember the day the Lieutenant told me they were
releasing me early, I was so scared I asked them if they would
let me get a job and rent my cell out from them, so I could stay
in jail. They were shocked and they explained to me why that
wasn’t possible in a very kind way and ya know what, I’m glad
they did, because here I am 12 years later and my life has never
been the same and it just gets sweeter as the days go by.
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