smac97 Posted July 6, 2021 Posted July 6, 2021 Very cool: Quote Before and after: Photos chronicle an ex-heroin addict’s triumph over adversity Ex-user Ginny Burton credits faith, counseling for a life transformed A booking photo from 2005 (left) shows Ginny Burton dealing with the effects of drug addiction and physical illness. At right, a 2021 photo shows Ms. Burton as she graduates from the University of Washington Seattle campus with a Truman Scholarship for graduate studies. (Courtesy of Ginny Burton) Once addicted to heroin, and with 17 felony convictions on her record, Ginny Burton has a message for those battling addiction or other life issues: It’s never too late to change. Ms. Burton, a 48-year-old resident of the rural Washington state town of Rochester, graduated in May from the University of Washington’s Seattle campus with a bachelor’s in political science. She plans to study for a master’s degree, a move aided by a 2020 award from the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, a federal agency. The story is common enough, but it was the before-and-after photos of an emaciated, addicted Ginny from 2005 contrasted with the smiling, healthy Ms. Burton in graduation regalia this year that went viral on Facebook, sparking news media interest from outlets in the U.S., Britain, and Germany. She’s hoping to build on her unexpected fame, starting a private Facebook group for goal-setters, working on an inspirational memoir and speaking out on the ordeal chronicled in those two photos. Ms. Burton told The Washington Times Monday that she drafted her husband of seven years, Chris, 42, away from his work as a house framer to help manage the nascent V. Ginny Burton online collection of Facebook and Instagram pages. Ms. Burton’s newfound success seems all the more surreal when considering her life story, one that appeared to offer no promise of happiness — or even survival. One of seven children raised in Tacoma, Washington, Ms. Burton began ingesting drugs at age 7, when her mother, an addict and a drug dealer, shared marijuana with Ginny and her siblings. From there, the path grew more dangerous: methamphetamine at age 12, smoking crack at age 14, and heroin at age 21, with full-blown addiction two years later. ... Ms. Burton hit bottom in 2012, when she faced a fourth prison sentence after being arrested on several forgery warrants. The arrest came while she was in “a domestic violence relationship,” she recalled, “and using [drugs] seemed to be a better option for me to be able to blot out the reality I was living in.” But unlike the majority of criminals who might view an arrest negatively, Ms. Burton said she saw her capture that day as “essentially a rescue.” Thanks to connections with prisoner-aid groups and an experienced private attorney, Ms. Burton was able to defer her charges in favor of a six-month jail sentence that included drug abuse treatment. That was followed by three years of a treatment program, which she said taught her “how to navigate [the] challenging things” that made her want to use drugs. The drug program’s lessons led her to college, to medical treatment for a 26-year case of hepatitis C, and to following a plant-based diet, exercise and meditation. All that — plus counseling from a mentor with whom she could closely identify — has kept her sober, Ms. Burton said, even when old urges resurface. “I dream regularly about drug use,” she conceded, “because it’s been such a part of my life for so long. I just recognize that it’s a part of my DNA, it’s a part of my normal makeup. I’ve spent more years on drugs than off.” The diet, which Ms. Burton now said includes meat because she was wary of what she called “processed protein,” is meant to help undo the damage years of drug use did to her body. The meditation, done at home or when exercising, is something she compares to “listening” to God following prayer. Ms. Burton was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2017 and, along with her husband, regularly attends the group’s worship services. Although she said she tries to keep her recovery meetings and her church life separate, she did “give a testimony” in her new, local congregation “a couple of weeks ago, and it was really wonderful.” Calling her church involvement “a really fantastic experience, Ms. Burton added, “One of the biggest things that I’ve gotten from the LDS Church is [what] I’ve learned about families. I learned about being connected to a community of people that really love you and are there for you. I’ve really gotten a lot of things that could have been present in my life had my mom chosen a different path. I really feel like it’s never too late.” I am happy for Ms. Burton. I am happy she is making choices for herself, to improve herself and her circumstances. I am glad the local members surrounding her "really love {her} and are there for {her}." I am glad that she has caught the vision of what the Restored Gospel is about: "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25.) It is interesting to me that Ms. Burton did not mention the Word of Wisdom. Surely that has been an important component of her recovery and improvement. But she didn't name check it. She speaks of A) counseling and drug treatment, B) a healthy diet, C) exercise, D) meditation, E) self-improvement through education, F) an appreciation of the importance of family, and G) boots-on-the-ground love and support from family and community. What an uplifting story! I hope it helps you guys. Thanks, -Smac 2
Tacenda Posted July 6, 2021 Posted July 6, 2021 (edited) 17 minutes ago, smac97 said: Very cool: I am happy for Ms. Burton. I am happy she is making choices for herself, to improve herself and her circumstances. I am glad the local members surrounding her "really love {her} and are there for {her}." I am glad that she has caught the vision of what the Restored Gospel is about: "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25.) It is interesting to me that Ms. Burton did not mention the Word of Wisdom. Surely that has been an important component of her recovery and improvement. But she didn't name check it. She speaks of A) counseling and drug treatment, B) a healthy diet, C) exercise, D) meditation, E) self-improvement through education, F) an appreciation of the importance of family, and G) boots-on-the-ground love and support from family and community. What an uplifting story! I hope it helps you guys. Thanks, -Smac Maybe she loves coffee?? I haven't read the article yet, so maybe my comment will be dumb. Have to add to my comment, I am so amazed she came out of this alive and living life to the fullest, thanks for the article Smac! Edited July 6, 2021 by Tacenda
Calm Posted July 6, 2021 Posted July 6, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, smac97 said: is interesting to me that Ms. Burton did not mention the Word of Wisdom. It may not be part of her mindset at this point as it sounds like she had made the health/diet changes prior to being baptized and may have already given up smoking (figure she probably used tobacco along with the illegal drugs) and maybe even coffee and tea. If covenanting to live the Word of Wisdom didn’t make a difference in her life because she already lives that way, why bring it up? Or she may have been trying to keep it simple and not use labels that would be confusing if not explained. Edited July 6, 2021 by Calm 4
Bernard Gui Posted July 7, 2021 Posted July 7, 2021 (edited) Addiction is the perfect tool of Satan. After 12 years serving in the LDS Family Services Addiction Recovery Program, I find it’s stories like this that made it all worthwhile. Sadly, this is the rare exception rather than the rule. I despise addiction (not addicts) and those who facilitate it. Not very Christian of me, I know. Edited July 7, 2021 by Bernard Gui 3
MiserereNobis Posted July 7, 2021 Posted July 7, 2021 34 minutes ago, Bernard Gui said: Addiction is the perfect tool of Satan. After 12 years serving in the LDS Family Services Addiction Recovery Program, I find it’s stories like this that made it all worthwhile. Sadly, this is the rare exception rather than the rule. I despise addiction (not addicts) and those who facilitate it. Not very Christian of me, I know. I thought of you when I read the OP. 1
MustardSeed Posted July 7, 2021 Posted July 7, 2021 I see no but to be had with this miraculous story. Wonderful on all counts.
Rain Posted July 7, 2021 Posted July 7, 2021 (edited) It doesn’t surprise me that she doesn't mention it being part of recovery. She stopped using before becoming a member. Keeping clean is integral to her being able to live just as breathing is. At least with the drug use she was already living the WoW in a much deeper way than most of us live it. Seeing what she went through it is amazing she pulled through. Edited July 7, 2021 by Rain 1
pogi Posted July 7, 2021 Posted July 7, 2021 (edited) 45 minutes ago, Rain said: It doesn’t surprise me that she doesn't mention it being part of recovery. She stopped using before becoming a member. Keeping clean is integral to her being able to live just as breathing is. At least with the drug use she was already living the WoW in a much deeper way than most of us live it. Seeing what she went through it is amazing she pulled through. That’s what I thought too. I don’t see the word of wisdom as a terribly effective recovery tool as much as it is a prophylactic. Recovery is not about a list of “do not’s”. The addict already knows that much, and simply doesn’t care. The WoW May be what drew her to our religion to some degree after her recovery. It probably spoke to what she already believed and worked for, including the no meat part as a vegetarian at the time. Once you experience the blessings of living the WoW, it is easy to admire and be drawn to it. When you are lost in addiction, it is easy to dismiss. Edited July 7, 2021 by pogi 4
Scott Lloyd Posted July 8, 2021 Posted July 8, 2021 (edited) On 7/6/2021 at 12:53 PM, smac97 said: Very cool: I am happy for Ms. Burton. I am happy she is making choices for herself, to improve herself and her circumstances. I am glad the local members surrounding her "really love {her} and are there for {her}." I am glad that she has caught the vision of what the Restored Gospel is about: "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25.) It is interesting to me that Ms. Burton did not mention the Word of Wisdom. Surely that has been an important component of her recovery and improvement. But she didn't name check it. She speaks of A) counseling and drug treatment, B) a healthy diet, C) exercise, D) meditation, E) self-improvement through education, F) an appreciation of the importance of family, and G) boots-on-the-ground love and support from family and community. What an uplifting story! I hope it helps you guys. Thanks, -Smac I know Mark Kellner, the writer of that piece. He worked for a time for the Deseret News while I was employed there. His desk was not far from mine. A Seventh Day Adventist, he had worked for that faith’s news publication, something of a functional counterpart to the Church News. He once proposed to me that he and I do a joint piece on Harry Anderson, the Seventh Day Adventist who was commissioned by our church to do many illustrations of scriptural events, paintings that became iconic. We never got around to it, but after he left Deseret News employment and resumed working for the Adventist publication, we both ended up covering the exhibit opening of Anderson paintings at the Church History Museum in Salt Lake. Im glad to see he’s landed a good job at the Washington Times, a paper for which I have high regard. Edited July 8, 2021 by Scott Lloyd 2
The Nehor Posted July 8, 2021 Posted July 8, 2021 On 7/6/2021 at 7:56 PM, Bernard Gui said: Addiction is the perfect tool of Satan. After 12 years serving in the LDS Family Services Addiction Recovery Program, I find it’s stories like this that made it all worthwhile. Sadly, this is the rare exception rather than the rule. I despise addiction (not addicts) and those who facilitate it. Not very Christian of me, I know. President Packer called addiction an “unfair advantage”. “Narcotic addiction serves the design of the prince of darkness, for it disrupts the channel to the holy spirit of truth. At present the adversary has an unfair advantage. Addiction has the capacity to disconnect the human will and nullify moral agency. It can rob one of the power to decide. Agency is too fundamental a doctrine to be left in such jeopardy. It is my conviction, and my constant prayer, that there will come through research, through inspiration to scientists if need be, the power to conquer narcotic addiction through the same means which cause it. I plead with all of you to earnestly pray that somewhere, somehow, the way will be discovered to erase addiction in the human body.” - President Packer 1
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