Kayla Lammers

Stories of Hope

ARCHway believes in recovery from the disease of addiction.

“My story is not a sad story. It’s a real one. It’s a story about a girl who fought through a storm she thought would never end.” – Hannah Blum

Here is just a glimpse of that story:

Kayla started using opiates when she was just 15 years old. She explained that she felt lost, and she lacked purpose and self-esteem as a child. Her father struggled with addiction and her mother wasn’t quite ready to be a mom, so her grandmother really raised her and has always stood by her side.

Kayla was diagnosed with Intracranial Hypertension in her youth, and this only exacerbated her opiate use. By 28, she was using heroin and fentanyl. She said, “That is when the true horror story started.”

Her use progressed to the point where her family couldn’t be around her. She had overdosed multiple times. She no longer wanted to live.

She credits Jesse, a Certified Peer Specialist at the Assisted Recovery Centers of America (ARCA) in St. Louis, for guiding her to where she is today. Jesse stayed in touch with Kayla despite her moving out of the state for an extended period of time and would eventually find her placement at LIV Sober Living in St. Charles, Missouri.

Kayla remembers Jesse calling her with this good news. He said, “I want you to promise me something…If these people tell you to jump, I want you to jump. If they tell you to sit down, I want you to sit down.” Kayla added, “And I promised him I would, and I have.”

Kayla has listened to the guidance of others. She has followed the steps others have suggested to keep her on this path. She has continued to do the next right thing, because when you do the right things, the right things happen in your life. She’ll never forget Jesse’s words for this reason.

Kayla is not just grateful for her recovery today, she is proud of her recovery today. Kayla is incredibly grateful to her grandmother for sticking by her. Her grandmother tells her every day how proud she is of her. Kayla also shared that she is finally starting to figure out who she is and what she wants out of her life. She wants to eventually be a Certified Peer Specialist and help others struggling with addiction. She said, “I want someone one day to hear my story and say I can do this. I can recover.”