 So I was about 12 when I first experimented, like with any kind of drugs. Megan Browning's story inspires hope on International Day Against Drug Abuse and illicit trafficking. You know, we weren't kids. We were out on the hall or we were riding four-wheelers, you know what I'm saying? And they had some weed. I smoked some weed, harmless, you know? In my mind, you know, it's harmless. I was being a kid. After that day, Browning's life was consumed by a relentless grip of addiction for nearly two decades. I liked the way those drugs made me feel and I used it to escape myself, you know? And it just got so big that it was bigger than me. It was not something I could just stop on my own one day, you know, and say, I'm done with that. And a lot of, there's a whole lot of shame that comes in. I didn't understand why I couldn't stop. You know, I had children at one point and was still using drugs. I had a good family and all those things and people was like, why can't you stop? You know, and you'll see people say like, your kids should be enough. Well, they were absolutely enough. You know what I'm saying? For me, but the disease I have is more powerful than me. Cancer. It's a very scary word. But an outstanding treatment facility was here at home. I was led to the Lawson Cancer Center. As a nurse practitioner at the Lawson Cancer Center, we are champions for our patients. I am so happy for Robert. The treatment worked. Determined to reclaim her life and break free from the chains of addiction, Megan saw professional help and committed herself to a road of recovery. I got clean at around age 30. And so I started working on getting my kids back in my life and building a stable life for them. It was the first time I had ever been like independent and on my own. So like I started out being a single parent, just trying to like navigate life. And so I ended up going back to school. I had no huge high hopes of all these things I wanted to do that kind of just progressed as life took on. But I was able, man, like being clean to like have my kids in my home provide for them, go back to school, graduate with a master's degree. I'll be able to take my last independent licensure test, hopefully in the next couple of months. If I pass, it's the last test I'll ever have to take. Having been clean for over six years, she has harnessed her personal experiences to help others battling addiction. Like recovery has given me the ability to be a mom, to be a good wife, to be a good family member. And I'm not like that constant worry or stress on my family anymore. I can show up and be an asset to my family, be an asset to my community, be an asset in my own home, because drugs and my disease don't run my life anymore. On this day, let us not only raise awareness, but also celebrate the countless individuals like Megan who have overcome addiction and are now making a positive impact on the lives of others. Reporting for Mountaintop News, I'm Ethan Miller.