09/05/2026
An open letter from a PAATC alum:
“I chose recovery because I finally got tired of surviving a life that was slowly destroying me. Addiction had taken so much from me: my peace, my relationships, precious time with my children, and eventually the woman I knew God created me to be. I entered Teen Challenge expecting to get clean, but that’s where I encountered God. I thought I needed freedom from drugs, but God showed me I needed healing from everything I had been trying to numb. What I originally thought would just be a stop in my life became the place where God completely changed the direction of it.
After graduating the year-long program, God continued opening doors I never could have opened for myself. I became an intern, and then I became staff at the very place where I once walked through the doors needing help myself. Now I get to stand beside other women who are fighting battles I understand because I’ve lived them. On my hard days, I remember where God brought me from, because I refuse to trade everything He has restored for something He already delivered me from.
Recovery didn't just teach me how to live without drugs, it introduced me to the woman God always knew was underneath the addiction. So to the person who feels like giving up: your worst chapter does not have to be your final chapter. You may walk into recovery just wanting to get clean, but if you surrender, God can give you something greater than the life you lost, He can give you purpose. My life is proof that God can take the place where you once needed saving and turn it into the place where He uses you to help save someone else. One scripture I hold close is 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” I once thought my weakness would destroy me. Instead, it became the place where I discovered His strength."
- Malikah
This Recovery Month, we celebrate stories like hers and the reminder that recovery can restore far more than what addiction tried to take.