Stories of Success
from the road to recovery
Our clients experience successes everyday. We celebrate all of those accomplishments - large or small. Here are just a few to serve as inspiration.
Monica's Story
Monica was introduced to painkillers by her grandmother and mother when she was in middle school. At that time, her mother, grandmother, and brother were already addicted to pills. Monica had difficult menstruation cycles and so they gave her Vicodin and they kept supplying her all the way through school. Eventually, she graduated to norcos and oxycontin and began buying her pills on the street... always fearful that she might accidentally encounter counterfeit pills laced with Fentanyl. Her sister was on a similar path. At one point, her sister actually broke into a doctor’s office to steal medication and ended up in jail.
But for the most part, the family kept their drug use hidden, never used with friends, regularly attended church, and held down jobs. Monica even managed to hide it from her husband. Through several years of marriage, Monica suffered multiple miscarriages. While she tried to stay clean during those pregnancies, she feels that her continued drug use likely played a role in those losses. ​Monica finally confessed her addiction to her husband after falling asleep in the middle of a dinner out. He was supportive of her seeking treatment and has been by her side throughout. Monica chose Valley Health Associates for treatment so she could continue to work.“I thought our family would be like this forever,” she said, “until my brother started with VHA.” Now, Monica has two years of sobriety along side her sister and brother. “It feels like we are true siblings now,’” she says.​​Monica and her siblings understand how lucky they were to go into treatment when they did. In her first bloodwork findings, Fentanyl was found in her system. She encourages anyone struggling with substance use to seek treatment before an accidental overdose occurs.
Mary's Story
Mary Lopez, 70, is a client of Valley Health Associates (VHA), which provides substance use disorder services in Monterey and San Benito Counties. Born and raised in Salinas, California, Mary’s struggle with addiction began after she was prescribed pain medication for a work-related injury. Mary didn’t know how addictive pain medication was, so after taking the medication for about 10 years, she became dependent on it to function and work.
Doctors stopped prescribing Mary the medication and she began buying painkillers on the street. That is when someone introduced Mary to Heroin, which she started using to manage the extreme pain she was in. Wanting to break free from her addiction, Mary met a volunteer at Dorothy’s Place in Salinas who connected her with VHA. VHA helped Mary quit her addiction by providing her with peer support and medication-assisted treatment (Methadone) that helped take away her withdrawal symptoms. Mary said the support and treatment from VHA helped her be able to function, work, and live her normal life again without being controlled by an addiction. Now, Mary continues to stay sober with the support of her family, friends, and her VHA community. “Stay away from drugs is the most important advice I can give - one step into the realm of drugs, and it becomes extremely hard to get out,” said Mary. Mary is a retired courthouse worker and now spends her time helping at her local church and enjoying moments with her family. She has two adult children, 45 and 47, and several grandchildren and nieces. Looking forward to the future, Mary stays positive, grateful for her journey, and ready to spend more time with her loved ones.
Kelly's Story
Kelly Carter, 48, is a client of Valley Health Associates (VHA), which provides substance use disorder services in Monterey and San Benito Counties. Kelly has spent most of her life in Monterey County, where she grew up. She graduated from Carmel High School and earned an associate degree in Human Services from Monterey Peninsula College. Five years ago, Kelly reached out to VHA for help after her sister encouraged her to seek their support. Kelly’s struggle with addiction, which lasted about 15 years, began when a former boyfriend introduced her to heroin.With the support of VHA, Kelly has worked hard to overcome her addiction. She meets regularly with her counselor at VHA, Larticia, who challenges her to stay focused, set goals, and maintain sobriety.
Methadone treatment has played a key role in managing her withdrawal symptoms. Kelly has faced major challenges like homelessness, isolation, strained family ties, and the heartbreaking loss of her 15-year-old daughter to fentanyl. Despite all of this, Kelly is determined to share her daughter’s story to raise awareness and prevent others from experiencing similar tragedies.“VHA is a wonderful place - they teach you how to live again,” said Kelly.Today, Kelly finds strength from her faith and stays busy by attending church and volunteering at her church’s food pantry. She also receives ongoing support from her In-Home Support Services worker, Laura, who helps her maintain a stable routine. In her free time, Kelly enjoys learning to cook and working on Diamond Dotz art projects. Looking ahead, Kelly’s main goals are to get her driver’s license and a car, as she continues her journey toward a better future.
Zachary's Story
Zachary, 38, was born and raised in Monterey County and now lives in Pacific Grove. A former college athlete, he earned a degree in Business Communications from Sonoma State University after transferring from Monterey Peninsula College, where he also played baseball. Zachary’s struggles with addiction began at 15 after being prescribed painkillers for a sports injury. What started with Norco escalated to OxyContin, heroin, and eventually fentanyl—having major effects on his health, family, and career.
Two months ago, Zachary made the decision to transfer to Valley Health Associates (VHA) after a bad experience with his previous clinic. Zachary expressed his gratitude to be in a clean, well-run program with caring counselors and effective treatment.“Going to Valley Health was the best move I could have made,” said Zachary. “The counselors actually talk and listen to you, and I have no urge to use drugs.”Currently, Zachary runs his own property maintenance business and co-owns a gun shop with his significant other. He stays active at the gym, plays sports with her son, and enjoys spending quality time with family. With plans for a Disneyland trip, a cruise, and opening new businesses, Zachary feels hopeful. “I am thankful for Valley Health and everybody there who helped me get to where I am today,” he said.
Yulliana's Story
Yuliana’s story began with a challenge she didn’t choose but one she would eventually rise above. At just 16 years old, she had already lived through a lifetime of struggles. Her mom, a young mother at only 14, had tried to navigate life while raising Juliana and her sister. But when Juliana was six years old, everything changed. Her mom began using meth, and one by one, the pieces of their life started to fall apart—her house, her car, her job, her family, and finally, her children.
When her mom lost custody, Yuliana’s world became even more complicated. Her uncle also fell into addiction. The cycle seemed inescapable. By the time Yuliana was a freshman in high school, she found herself following the same dark path. At first, she used meth sporadically—just once a month. But soon, once turned into twice, then every week, and before she knew it, she was hooked. Meth consumed her life. Mornings, afternoons, and nights were filled with smoking. Days would blur together as she stayed awake for long stretches, refusing food and ignoring her body’s cries for rest until it could no longer take it. Eventually, she would crash, sleeping for a full day and missing more and more school. At her lowest point, Yuliana weighed just 60 pounds. Her face reflected the toll the drug was taking on her body. Each time she woke up from a crash, the first thing she’d do was smoke, desperate to push away the intense stomach pain that gripped her. Her sophomore year was a haze. She attended her math class only 38 times the entire year, isolating herself from friends and family. She couldn’t hold a conversation, let alone maintain relationships. Yuliana felt like she was trapped in her own world—a world where nothing mattered except the next high. After a year and eight months of using, her aunt stepped in. She gave Yuliana an ultimatum: stop on her own or go to rehab. At first, Yuliana resisted. But when the withdrawals hit, everything changed. The physical and emotional pain of withdrawal—the shaking, the panic attacks, the overwhelming desire to run back to meth—became too much to bear. She finally asked to be put in rehab, knowing she couldn’t do it alone. For the first time in almost two years, Juliana felt sober. It was strange at first—she had felt more “normal” and like her true self when she was using meth. But as the fog lifted, she began to rediscover who she truly was beneath the addiction. Yuliana found support at Valley Health Associates, where she encountered people who believed in her and inspired her to believe in herself. Their encouragement gave her the motivation she needed to keep going. For the first time in a long time, she felt hope. She wasn’t just surviving anymore; she was ready to change, to rebuild, and to create a future free from the chains of addiction. Yuliana’s story isn’t just one of struggle; it’s a testament to resilience, to the power of support, and to the possibility of transformation.