I am three years sober by choice after using meth intravenously. Lately, it has been on my heart to share what helped me—in the hope that it might help someone else.

There is a saying in AA: “If you don’t share it, you will lose it.” I am beginning not only to believe that, but to feel it. I have reached a place where I am ready to share.

My turning point was quiet. I was visiting my girls at my mom’s house after I had lost custody. We were sitting on the porch, catching up and hanging out—nothing deep, nothing planned. I looked at them and fell in love with them all over again. As I saw the best of myself in them, I fell in love with myself, too.

In that moment, I knew I deserved to heal. They deserved the best mom in the world—and they had me—so I had a lot of work to do. That porch did not erase the work ahead, but it gave me a reason to begin it.

I also had to face the time I had missed with my sons, now 26 and 24. I did not heal in time to give them the version of me I wish they had known. But I realized that did not mean I had missed my chance to heal. I still deserved healing—not to rewrite the past, but to live differently now.

For a long time, guilt was part of what kept me from stopping. Getting high took away the guilt and sadness—really, every emotion—and replaced it with an insane happiness. But it only lasted until the high wore off. Then everything I was trying not to feel was still there.

What my mom calls “the nutrition thing” began as a replacement for drugs—another addiction. Healthier, yes, but still a way to fill the void. Over time, it became something deeper: a way to notice my body, care for my whole self, and build a life beyond simply stopping a substance.

I do not put a label on the way I eat. I occasionally eat meat, while personally exploring a more raw, plant-rich way of nourishing myself. This is not about recruiting anyone into a food identity. It is an invitation to get curious, try another way of living, and listen to your own inner signals—not the commercials—when deciding what to eat, wear, listen to, or take part in.

I found that after I gave my body what I call a reset, I could begin to hear it again. For two weeks, I ate plant-based, mostly single-ingredient and minimally processed foods, with no added sugar—not even agave, maple syrup, or honey. I ate raw foods as much as I could: lots of fruit and salads, plus overnight oats, brown rice, and roasted vegetables. I used olive oil, left other oils and bread out for that stretch, and tried to keep things as simple as possible.

After those two weeks, food tasted so much better to me. Lemons, limes, and grapefruit tasted almost as sweet as oranges. Berries were incredible. That was my own experience, not a detox claim or a rule for anyone else. A restrictive plan is not safe or useful for everyone, especially for people with medical conditions, a history of disordered eating, or medication-related nutrition needs.

I follow the MIND eating pattern as best I can, with 85 percent—not perfection—as my goal. MIND blends the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets. DASH was developed to help lower high blood pressure, and research shows it can also improve cholesterol. In a 2015 observational study, the people who followed MIND most closely had a 53 percent lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, while moderate followers had about a 35 percent lower risk. That is an association, not a promise, but it reminds me that consistent choices still matter. Learn about DASH from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

I write here as 85/15. It was my name in the streets; now it is the philosophy I am choosing for my life. I aim to eat well, move, and show up for myself about 85 percent of the time—and meet the other 15 percent without judgment. The name helps me remember where I came from without demanding perfection from where I am going.

This is a spiritual but not religious space—comfortable with astrology, garden wisdom, homemade tonics, prayer, and the mystery of a clear night sky. You never have to set aside your faith, borrow someone else’s beliefs, or call your inner life by any particular name.

Healing does not have to happen alone. Recovery can involve medical treatment, counseling, medication, peer support, mutual-aid groups, family, and community. Whole-person care belongs beside those supports—not in place of them.