A Mother Shares Disturbing Images Of What A Drug Addiction Looks Like

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Drugs are a massive problem in the United States and opioid addiction is the driver of this epidemic.

It seems that we are fighting an uphill battle against deadly drugs such as heroin and fentanyl.Drug overdose deaths in 2016 most likely exceeded 59,000, the largest annual jump ever recorded in the United States, according to preliminary data compiled by The New York Times.

In 2016, drug overdose deaths most likely exceeded 59,00o – the largest annual jump ever recorded in the US, according to preliminary data compiled by The New York Times.

Now, a Mom’s bid to help others struggling with addiction has gone viral, after she shared disturbing before and after photos on her Facebook page urging other people to get help.

Melissa Lee Matos, of West Virginia, wrote a post on her Facebook page with a great warning.
She never shared the graphic images before, and she never intended to.

“However, too many people are dying. I have friends who need to see this. It goes beyond what my words can accomplish.”

“My name is Melissa, and I’m an addict. I have been clean and in recovery for just about a year and five months.”

The photographs were “extremely disturbing images” while she was in active addiction.

“This was what I looked like, daily, for years. This is what my husband dealt with. This is what my little girls walked in on. This is what my family and friends saw, on the rare occasions I left the house. I was SICK. I was DYING. I was so far gone I thought I could NEVER recover. I was so lost I couldn’t imagine a life without using. I just wanted to die. I didn’t realize I was hardly alive.”

“If you are currently in active addiction, this is my plea to you. Look at these pictures. Images of a dead girl. A needle junkie with a habit so fierce she spent days and nights in a self-induced coma on her bathroom floor. A girl who would spend every cent on dope and forget she had kids to feed and take care of. A girl who lost every single thing she ever had. A girl who was so sick she thought she would never ever find a way out, until she did. If you are reading this and are going through the same pain I did, I am begging you to reach out. I died more than once. I have now found life. I promise you, there is HOPE. There is recovery. There is freedom and serenity and you are worthy of it.”

Melissa is pleading with those who are battling addiction, to reach out to her so she can help them recover. She even lists her email, telephone number and a Facebook page called RecoverMe.

The post has now been shared over 50,000 times. Many people commented thanking her for her remarkable courage to stand up and share such a personal story.

In a follow-up post, she expressed gratitude for the number of people who have reached out and thanked her for sharing the photos.

“I did this in the hopes of even getting one person to reach out, and the fact that hundreds of you have trusted me and my story enough to message me fills me with more hope and love than I can explain,” she wrote.

“Thank you for letting me share my story. I love you all. We can do this together! Never lose hope!!”