Klamath Falls, OR – It took Amber Avitable 20 years to find the road to recovery. It wasn’t easy to find, but now she believes in herself.

“I’ve learned that I have a purpose in life,” Amber said with a smile. “Nothing can hold me back in life if I don’t let it.”

The road started in her younger years. Her mom’s husband was abusive. Amber ran away, and didn’t finish high school. She first tried methamphetamine (meth) at 13. Use progressed from once in a while to all the time.

“It was the crowd I was into,” Amber said. “Meth was readily available.”

Pregnant at 18, she got herself clean during pregnancy, but went back to using. At 21, she lost custody of her son to his dad. She stopped using again when she was pregnant in 2009, but started back up after giving birth. She was dealing and held different jobs long enough to show income.

“I was as functioning as an addict could be,” Amber said. “I took care of my kids, had a home, and I wasn’t causing a ruckus.”

Amber was arrested April 20, 2017 for possession of meth. Her youngest child was taken from her by authorities. She came to LCS Northwest through Klamath County Drug Court. That didn’t start well. She failed her early drug screens, if she showed up at all.

Then life changed. Amber went to treatment for three months at the Transformation Wellness Center, an inpatient facility. That move saved her life.

“I never had so much fun in treatment,” she said. “There were 30 of us who wanted to get clean together. I had three months to focus on just myself.”

During those three months, her LCS Northwest Mental Health Counselor Kyra Letzring would visit. By working with Kyra, Amber was diagnosed with Adjustment Disorder. She is learning to deal with anxiety and depression.

Amber is enjoying life more now that she is clean and sober. She’s a lot calmer, and a better mom.

“Our relationship is just a million times better,” Amber said of her children. “I’m actually present now instead of checked out mentally and emotionally.

“It’s a joy now to be a mom. It was rough then. It was a struggle just to be happy every day.”

Amber graduated from Drug Court recently. She also participated in our Supported Employment program, where we help adults diagnosed with a mental illness find and maintain a job.

Today, Amber is working at Biagio’s Bar and Grille in Klamath Falls. Her next step is to earn her GED. She eventually wants to become a peer support specialist for LCS Northwest and help other addicts with recovery.