Bryanna Adams knows how quickly substance use disorder can consume a life.
“I would have never imagined that I would have had to go through what I went through,” she said. “But in some crazy, weird way, it was meant for me to be in recovery.”
Today, at 26, Bryanna is three years into her recovery journey. She works for a treatment center, helping others find their way to recovery. But before she could help others, Bryanna had to find her own path – a path that led her to The GateHouse.
From Casual Use to Losing Everything
Bryanna’s journey into addiction began like many others – casual use as a teenager that gradually deepened.
“I was always that person that wanted more and more and more of everything,” she said.
Growing up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Bryanna came from a good family with a promising future. She was a homecoming queen, played sports, and graduated from one of the best high schools in Pennsylvania. Not long after graduation, she started college, pursuing a degree to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN).
But beneath the surface, Bryanna was struggling.
“I always knew that there was something wrong,” she said, reflecting on her tendency to get into troubling situations even before her substance use escalated.
By her early 20s, Bryanna had dropped out of nursing school without telling her family. She moved in with a boyfriend, and her drinking and casual drug use began to increase. Soon, she met people who introduced her to harder drugs.
“I left my mom’s house,” Bryanna said. “I didn’t tell her where I was going. She had no idea that these types of things were happening.”
Bryanna found herself living with a dealer, caught in a cycle of addiction that included crack cocaine, MDMA (a.k.a. ecstasy or molly), and other substances. The once-promising student was now trapped in a world she never imagined for herself.
“It got really, really ugly, really, really fast,” Bryanna said. She lost touch with her family, engaged in dangerous situations, and even turned to prostitution to support her habit.
“I was in a lot of dangerous situations,” she said. “I could have lost my life plenty of times.”
The Turning Point: A Mother’s Love and a Judge’s Decision
After years of substance abuse and multiple attempts at rehab, Bryanna’s turning point came when she faced legal consequences for violating her probation. She had been on probation since 2018 for a minor charge unrelated to her drug use, but her addiction kept her from dealing with her legal obligations.
Bryanna’s mother, desperate to help her daughter, convinced her to attend a court date, knowing Bryanna might face jail time.
“May 2, 2021, I planned everything out,” Bryanna remembered. “I told my mom. I said, ‘Okay, I’m going to go to court. I’m just gonna get myself together and make it to court.'”
Knowing it might be her last chance to use, Bryanna got as high as she could before her mother picked her up.
“I don’t even remember getting in the car,” she said. “It was just like everything was moving in slow motion.”
The judge sentenced Bryanna to 98 days in York County Prison.
“May 3, 2021,” she said. “That was the last day I used anything.”
The GateHouse: A Foundation for Lasting Recovery
After completing her jail sentence, Bryanna was sent to a rehab facility for another 98 days. It was there that she first heard about The GateHouse.
“Everybody kept telling me about The GateHouse,” Bryanna said. “It was The GateHouse this and The GateHouse that. They kept saying how it was this incredible place.”
Intrigued by what she heard, Bryanna told her counselor she wanted to go to this long-term recovery program everyone was talking about.
When Bryanna arrived at The GateHouse, she found more than just a place to stay clean. She found a supportive community, guidance for building a career, and the tools to reconstruct her life.
“The GateHouse made me feel like a person again,” Bryanna said. “The sisterhood with the women that were there was amazing. To this day, I’m still in contact with the women I met there. We really bonded. We carried each other while we were in there.”
At The GateHouse, Bryanna began to face the many emotional challenges she had been avoiding.
“I think for me, it was just like, facing them demons,” she said. “I could not face all the hurt and the pain that I put myself through, that I put my family through… the guilt was so overbearing.”
The staff at The GateHouse provided the support and structure Bryanna needed to confront these challenges.
“They just pulled stuff out of me,” she said. “They didn’t allow me to fight them. They were like, ‘Listen, we’re here to save your life. We’re here to help you get back into society.'”
As Bryanna progressed through the program, she began to rebuild her life. The GateHouse helped her find employment, reconnect with her family, and establish a foundation in recovery.
“If it wasn’t for The GateHouse, I don’t know where I would be today,” she said. “They literally saved my life.”
A Life Restored: Giving Back and Moving Forward
Today, Bryanna works at a treatment center, using her experience to help others struggling with addiction. She’s rebuilt relationships with her family, found a supportive partner who is also in recovery, and is actively involved in Narcotics Anonymous.
Bryanna’s recovery journey has brought her full circle. Her grandfather also suffered from substance use disorder and she said she remembers attending NA meetings with him as a child, making coffee for the attendees. Now, when she goes to meetings in Harrisburg, people remember her from those days.
“It’s a weird thing,” Bryanna said. “It’s like I was meant to finish what my granddad started.”
Bryanna’s commitment to helping others is a direct result of what she learned at The GateHouse.
“I have so much to give,” she said. “These were the things that we were taught at the GateHouse; help the next person, be there for somebody else.”
With three years of sobriety behind her and a new life in front of her, Bryanna continues to grow and face her challenges with the tools she gained at The GateHouse.
“I still go to meetings, I still do my step work,” Bryanna said. “I’m very involved with my sponsor. I have a lot of support—like, a lot of support–in the community.”
As she continues to focus on her recovery, her work, and giving back to others, Bryanna knows how close addiction will always be to her. And even though the desire to use drugs will never truly go away, Bryanna can envision a world where it no longer dominates her life.
“I’m finally starting to get to a place where it’s not even my first thought,” she said. “And that’s a blessing.”
The Ripple Effect of Recovery
From the depths of addiction to a life of purpose, Bryanna’s recovery story illustrates the vital role that long-term, supportive recovery programs play in changing people’s lives.
But the impact doesn’t stop with Bryanna. Every life touched by addiction affects countless others – family members, friends, and the broader community. By helping individuals like Bryanna find lasting recovery, The GateHouse creates a ripple effect of positive change that extends far beyond its walls.
As we approach this year’s Extraordinary Give, your support can help The GateHouse continue to provide the foundation for lasting recovery to individuals like Bryanna. By giving extra, you’re not just supporting an organization – you’re helping to rebuild lives, reunite families, and strengthen our community.
Join us in ‘Giving Extra’ to The GateHouse during the Extraordinary Give. Your contribution can be the turning point in someone’s journey from addiction to recovery, just as The GateHouse was for Bryanna.
To support The GateHouse and help more individuals like Bryanna find their path to recovery, please visit our ExtraGive page on Nov. 22. Every gift, no matter the size, can make an extraordinary difference in someone’s life.
