In life, sometimes we make mistakes. We can make unhealthy or unsafe choices; without some outside help, we get trapped in a downward spiral that can consume us.
That was sadly what happened to Dejah Hall, a young woman from Glandale, AZ. At just 22, she was addicted to heroin, cocaine, and meth, and her life was careening out of control.
The drugs were taking a horrible physical toll on her, and her health was far worse than the average 22-year-old's should be. She was also on the run from the law with an outstanding warrant.
"I was a monster," Hall now recalls. "I was a monster in every sense of the word."
But however monstrously she might have been behaving, Hall wasn't beyond saving. There was still a part of her that wanted to live a clean, healthy life, and it took the right words from the right person to make her realize that she needed to make a change.
In Hall's case, it was her grandfather, Rich. She visited him on his birthday, and he opened up to her.
"My grandfather was sitting in his wheelchair and he looked at me and he said, 'You're hurting me, Dejah,'" she said. And that was when she realized that she needed to make some serious changes in her life.
Drug addiction is a tragic and devastating illness that affects millions of people, along with their friends and family. Luckily for Hall, she was able to find a new path in life. Now four years later, she's dedicated her life to helping others.
Recently, 26-year-old Dejah Hall uploaded this collage to the Love What Matters Facebook page to celebrate being four years sober from a drug addiction that was ruining her life and destroying her family's happiness.
She was addicted to cocaine, meth, and heroin, and had an outstanding warrant for felony charges. At just 22, her life was spiraling out of control.
"I was a terrible IV user and like most, progressively got worse," she said.
It took a plea from her grandfather to make her realize that this was not the life she wanted or deserved.
"I went to the bathroom, and I looked at myself and I really looked at who I had become: this disgusting person who needed to continue to stick these drugs in their veins because I couldn't function," she said.
It was right there that she decided she was going to turn things around, first by bolstering her spiritual foundation.
Hall was arrested and imprisoned for her outstanding charges. It was then that she started her new life of sobriety and religious contemplation.
For Hall, getting arrested was a turning point in her life
"The day I was arrested [was] coincidentally the day I finally surrendered to God," she said.
Sadly, Halls' grandfather passed away two weeks after her arrest back in 2012. She still uses her promise to him as motivation to stay sober.
And these days, she has someone else in her corner too: an 18-month-old daughter.
Today, four years after her arrest, Hall is sober. She said she owes her transformation to her faith.
Not only that, she wants to spread her message of hope to others who might be struggling with similar issues.
"I am completing my BA and hope to one day be a prison minister," she said. "I have a beautiful 18-month-old and every day I thank God that I am not where I once was! Sobriety is possible."
While she works on her degree to become a minister, she's also starting a new job as a drug and alcohol counselor at a local organization, where she'll be able to help others struggling through addictions.
Naturally, she's making all kinds of great memories with her daughter!
This holiday season, Hall says she's just thankful for a second chance at life.
And people from all over the world are congratulating her on her transformation.
"These pictures…show the real effects of drugs, but that doesn't have to be your reality!" she says to the millions of people who saw her story. She wants them to know that even in the darkest times, there's always hope.
SHARE this incredible story of overcoming the odds. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, contact an addiction hotline to get help.
