Former Drug Addicts Who Recovered: 8 Before-and-After Stories

Dejah Hall

Recovery from addiction is possible, and these before-and-after photos show it more clearly than any statistic. The eight people below were once dependent on heroin, meth, cocaine or prescription opioids. Each one later shared pictures from their worst days next to recent ones, usually on Facebook, Reddit, Imgur or Instagram, to mark a milestone and to give hope to someone still using.

The scale of the problem explains why these stories travel so far. In 2014, when many of these pictures first circulated, a US federal survey estimated that about 7.1 million Americans aged 12 or older had an illicit drug use disorder, within 21.5 million with a substance use disorder of any kind. Overdose deaths kept rising for years after that: the CDC counted 107,941 in 2022 and 105,007 in 2023, most involving fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.

Behind the numbers are individual people who changed course, often after prison, failed attempts at rehab or losing custody of a child. Their paths differ, but a few things repeat: a turning point, structured treatment, people who did not give up on them, and time. Here is each story, with what we know about it.

Rebuilding after prison and a childhood start

Dejah Hall, Glendale, Arizona. The left-hand picture dates from her arrest on felony warrants, which was followed by two years behind bars. She posted the comparison on Facebook with a simple line: Today marks four years clean from heroin and meth. Then a 26-year-old mother and student, she said she was working towards a bachelor's degree so she could become a prison minister.

Alyssa Gaudinier

Alyssa Gaudinier. Her drinking began at around ten, when she found her parents' alcohol, and by 14 she had moved on to ecstasy, meth and heroin. She has said that by then even her family no longer recognised her. Her first stay in rehab ended in relapse; the second worked, and at 20 she had been sober for over a year and was working as a daycare teacher.

What meth does to the face, and the way back

Reddit/WormGuy666

A sister shared on Reddit. The Reddit user WormGuy666 posted these photos of his sister, with her permission, after seeing another user's recovery post. She hoped the comparison would show plainly what meth does and encourage people in or near recovery. She explained that she was 5 ft 4 in and about 110 pounds while using, and later reached a healthy 130 pounds. Sudden weight loss, skin sores and dental damage are well-documented effects of heavy methamphetamine use.

Instagram/ @bilderbackbrooke_

Brooke. Brooke documented her recovery from heroin and meth on Instagram. She has said it took twelve attempts to get clean. When she posted this photo she was eight months sober, the longest stretch of her life without drugs. Her story is a reminder that relapse is common and is not the end of the road.

A photographer who turned the camera on himself

Graham MacIndoe

Graham MacIndoe. Born in Armadale, Scotland, in 1963, MacIndoe trained at Edinburgh College of Art and the Royal College of Art before building a photography career in New York. After a period of cocaine use, he became addicted to heroin in New York, and he photographed himself through those years, between 2004 and 2010; his recovery followed months in immigration detention and then rehab. The National Galleries of Scotland acquired a selection of the prints, and in 2017 they were shown at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery as Coming Clean. He now teaches photography at Parsons The New School.

Heroin, opioids and years of sobriety

Imgur/Germwithaj

An Imgur user, jermwithaj. He used heroin and meth for about nine years before deciding to stop. He wrote that he had not dared hope for a better life near the end, only a different one, and that recovery gave him calm, happiness and a chance to help others. Under his photo he summed it up as six months of hard work and commitment, and urged anyone struggling to ask for help.

DisreagardThisOrDont

Courtney. A 24-year-old mother, Courtney shared her photos on Reddit at 826 days sober, more than two years after leaving heroin behind. She said the past now felt like a bad dream, and described the woman on the right as a person who loves herself. She credited discipline, her partner's support and small changes, such as no longer picking at her skin.

Andi Peterson. Andi first used drugs at 16. At 18 she was prescribed Percocet, an oxycodone painkiller, after an emergency caesarean, and became dependent on opioids. The addiction led to arrest and the loss of custody of her son. It took about four more years before she stopped, and she has reported staying sober since.

What helps people stay in recovery

The US National Institute on Drug Abuse describes addiction as a chronic but treatable condition. Relapse rates, around 40 to 60%, are similar to those for other long-term illnesses such as high blood pressure and asthma, so a relapse usually means treatment needs adjusting, not that it failed. For opioid addiction, medication such as methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone, combined with counselling, is the first-line treatment. For meth and other stimulants, behavioural therapies are the main tools. Detox on its own is rarely enough.

NIDA also warns that relapse after a period of abstinence is especially dangerous, because the body loses its tolerance and a once-usual dose can cause an overdose.

Where to find help

If you or someone you love is struggling, talk to a doctor. In the United States, SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357), offers free, confidential treatment referrals in English and Spanish, 24 hours a day. In other countries, a family doctor is a good first step. Every person on this list once felt sure nothing would change.

Sources: Photos and stories shared by the people pictured on Facebook, Reddit, Imgur and Instagram (credited under each image); SAMHSA: 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health; CDC NCHS Data Brief 522: Drug overdose deaths 2003–2023; National Galleries of Scotland: Graham MacIndoe, Coming Clean; NIDA: Treatment and recovery; SAMHSA National Helpline.