Ex-meth addict celebrates 4 year sobriety with disturbing 'before' and beautiful 'after' photos

'Today marks four years clean from heroin and meth.'

Dejah Hall was arrested for an outstanding warrant in December 2012. It was also the day she realized she needed help and promised her ailing grandfather she would turn her life around.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - At only 22-years-old, Hall was addicted to meth, cocaine and heroin. She was a wanted woman and knew she was a mess.

In December 2012, she paid her grandfather, Rich, a birthday visit.

Hall told ABC 15, "My grandfather was sitting in his wheelchair and he looked at me he said, 'You're hurting me Dejah,'"

That was the moment she realized she needed to stop the destructive behavior.

"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. ...I was a monster. I was a monster in every sense of the word."

She promised her grandfather she would clean up.

Only a few hours later, Hall was arrested by federal agents for felony warrants. She was sent to prison and began the journey to sobriety.

Two weeks following her arrest, her grandpa passed away.

"More than anything, I wish I could tell him that I made it. That I'm doing it," she lamented. It is the promise she made to her grandfather that helped her work to sobriety.

Four years later, at 26-years-old, Hall celebrated her fourth year of sobriety with a post on Facebook: "Today marks 4 years clean from heroin and meth. The top left is me in full blown addiction, I was a terrible iv [sic] user and like most, progressively got worse. The bottom left is me the day I was arrested 12-6-12 and coincidentally the day I finally surrendered to God!

"With the help of God I am completing my BA and hope to one day be a prison minister. I have a beautiful 18 month old and everyday I thank God that I am not where I once was! Sobriety is Possible."

The post went viral, leaving Hall stunned.

Hall told the < ahref="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/21/mother-shares-inspiring-photos-four-years-overcoming-meth-addiction/">Telegraph, "I know what I want for my life and I know that helping others obtain sobriety is one of those things. These pictures are humiliating and show the real effects of drugs, but that doesn't have to be your reality!"

She shared how "overwhelmed" she was at the response, adding, "People from all over the country, I have people from England, and the Netherlands, the Philippines, everybody contacting me about my story."

Hall is currently working toward a Bachelor's in Arts degree and hopes to become a prison minister to help people struggling with addiction.

Her 2017 is off to a great start with the expectation of beginning a new job as a drug and alcohol counselor at Community Bridges next month.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'

Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online