Hey Everyone,
My name is Jillian. I’m a 27 year old mother and I am a recovering drug addict since September 17, 2015. I am a certified Recovery Coach, but most importantly I am just a normal, outgoing and happy individual.
I have been part of the MOm’s In REcovery (MORE) Study as a Study Advisory Committee Member since the beginning, November of 2018. I have never been asked to do this type of work, but I was and continue to be excited to be part of it. Being given this opportunity to be a part of a study that can (and WILL) make a difference in the lives of others, as well as my own, is a great honor.
As an addict there is a great stigma about us. But as a mother who is an addict – sometimes we feel those judgements just a little bit more. The purpose of our study is to find which type of method works best for us. Is it integrated? Is it referral based? What works for one may not work for another and vice versa.
Over the course of 4 years, the team hopes to collect close to 600 survey’s from pregnant woman. We want to follow them through their journey’s through postpartum. The survey’s are a variety of questions based around addiction, childhood before the age of 18 and current situations the women are faced with. Our research assistant’s have done a wonderful job creating these survey’s to make sure the woman are comfortable enough to be honest and open so we get the information needed in our study. We are collecting information from New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine.
Being a SAC member has introduced me to so many brilliant woman who all want the same thing; to help mother’s and their children get what they need. Addicts are people. Great, smart, wonderful, caring people. And I am honored to be an addict, making a difference in other addicts, as well as non-addicts lives! I thank the MORE Study for allowing me to share my experiences and knowledge with them, while teaching me new things at each and every meeting, event, and work shop. I look forward to seeing this project continue to grow.