Darragh Ingrassia
“Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”
-J.K. Rowling
My name is Darragh and I have been a recovering addict since 2011. Prior to then, I was in a vicious cycle of active addiction and checked into many rehab facilities. That dark time consisted of homelessness, losing custody of my child, damaged relationships with family & friends, and a slow mental, physical & spiritual collapse. I considered myself a hopeless case whose only end would be death from the disease of addiction. In spite of my strong desire to stop using, I could not, and I did not understand why.
After going to my 4th rehab, I decided to do something different. I took a leap of faith and moved into a Recovery House. I showed up there a scared little girl who did not know how to live. In that recovery house I learned how to be a woman with dignity and integrity. I had finally found recovery! Through the recovery house and the 12 step fellowship I became a part of, I was taught how to have healthy relationships, love myself, work, grocery shop, be a mother and a productive member of society. In the recovery house and the fellowship, I found people who had made their way out of the same dark place I once believed I would die in. They showed me the way out of that seemingly hopeless misery and guided me into a better and brighter way of life.
I am forever grateful to the women in that house and the 12 step fellowship for saving my life. Today I am an asset to my employer, a mother to my children, a wife to my husband, a daughter, a sister and a friend. I am able to be all these things today because first and foremost I am a woman in recovery.
My mission is to draw from my personal experience in recovery to help the addict who feels as hopeless as I once did. If an addict like me can stop using, lose the desire to use and find a better way of life, then any addict can.