Shining Light on Recovery

Maggie was pursuing her lifelong dream: a career in the performing arts. But behind closed doors, her life felt more like a nightmare.

"I was addicted to opioids for 10 years," she says. "It was a merry-go-round of hell." 

Maggie thought of her addiction as her "pet dragon," which seemed to dog her every step and ultimately grew fierce, demanding more and more of her attention. Finally her path led her to Hazelden Betty Ford, where she found the support she needed to begin her recovery journey.  

"I felt a semblance of peace in knowing there was an explanation to what I was going through," she says. "That I hadn't lost my mind."

Now Maggie is using her creative talents and background in theater to inspire others. Together with a collaborator, she wrote a musical called My Pet Dragon. She hopes when people see the show they'll find the strength to face their own 'dragons.' "Being able to share my recovery today and hear others relate to it is incredibly rewarding," she says.   

"Throughout my recovery, I have met some of the most brilliant, incredible, beautiful people—all who struggled with addiction at one time in their lives," she says. "If we can shine more light on addiction, the public will see beyond the stereotypes." 

Maggie feels especially strongly about spreading the message of recovery. "When the media consistently pushes the narrative of death, people miss the possibility of life in recovery," she explains. 

"Addiction is not a death sentence: there is life on the other side. But that story doesn't get told as frequently."