Heather Stanton: The End Of Everything
The turning point in Heather Stanton’s life came three years ago, while she sat behind bars on yet another drug-related charge. Since she was six years old, trauma, loss, and sadness had been her constant companions. She had spent years hiding, running, and trying to forget. But as she sat there, she realized the past wasn’t chasing her anymore. Everyone who had hurt her was either long gone, or dead, or both. She was the only one left.
If she had let herself dwell on it, the injustice of her life might have stirred up old anger. But that day, something else weighed heavier: exhaustion. She felt a weariness that reached the depths of her soul. More than anything, she just wanted to be free of it. She remembers, “I became ready to accept the tragedy and nightmare of my life and just leave it behind. The end of everything. I wanted to be done with it and was ready for something different.”
To her credit, Heather brought to CORE the essentials for recovery: willingness, honesty, and open-mindedness. She was quiet at first, unsure of herself. But she threw herself into the program, and something changed. She started waking up with more than just gratitude—she felt something new, something unexpected. Compassion. As she worked the Steps, she came to understand the profound biblical truth that love banishes fear. And as she began reaching out to others, her world opened up. “I wanted to help others, to see them succeed,” she says. “Because when I got here, people helped me.”
When Heather completed CORE’s one-year recovery program, she was just getting started. She joined our 2nd Mile benevolent group, began volunteering in our transportation department, and started teaching 4D Recovery—all while pursuing a career with a professional photo lab. Then, after much prayer and reflection, she chose to dedicate her future to CORE as an employee. Today, she serves as a house manager and women’s coordinator in our Springfield program. We at CORE are incredibly proud of Heather and grateful to have her on our team. She is understanding and considerate of our newcomers, always mindful of her role in guiding them through their recovery—and helping them find the same God-given freedom she enjoys today.
We spent several hours talking with Heather at CORE’s Springfield Recovery Center. Space prevents us from fully detailing her powerful and deeply personal account, but we do want to share how she became an addict in the first place. People unfamiliar with addiction often assume that addicts are simply reckless partygoers who succumbed to their disease through excess and celebration. In reality, addiction rarely begins that way. More often, it takes root because mind-altering substances provide an escape—masking pain, anxiety, and trauma. By the time the sufferer realizes what’s happening, it’s too late.
Heather grew up in a poor rural town, where her father split cordwood and her mother worked two jobs. The family once included six children, with Heather and her little sister as the youngest. Early on, one of her older sisters was removed from the home and placed in foster care. Heather remembers social workers conducting wellness checks, inspecting her and her younger sister for bruises. She doesn’t recall being beaten at that time. What she does remember is the moment her older brother’s attentions toward her turned predatory. She was six years old.
From an early age, Heather learned that the safest place to be was somewhere she could remain unseen and unheard. The police came to know her as a runaway. Battling trauma, fear, and anxiety, she was drawn to anything that could make her feel less afraid. When she was thirteen, she met a seventeen-year-old boy who introduced her to drugs and alcohol. They soon became a couple. He was frequently absent and physically abusive, but they remained together for more than a decade and had two children.
Meth made her feel strong—almost invincible. Opiates took away her pain. For years, she held the fragile pieces of her life together until three events, in quick succession, shattered everything: imprisonment, the loss of her parental rights, and the death of her father—the only person she had ever felt safe with. Untethered from family and community, she surrendered to opioids and stayed lost in addiction for nearly twenty years. “How far down into the abyss did I go?” she says. “It was bad. I felt abandoned, betrayed by every person I knew. I didn’t want to live.”
During this dark time, she began losing even more family members. An older sister had already passed away, but then came the deaths of her parents—and two more sisters, both from overdoses. By 2020, it was almost Heather’s turn. “It happened at someone’s house. I overdosed, and there was no Narcan. The last thing I remember was falling face-first. I saw a shower—then nothing.” Miraculously, someone in the house knew CPR and kept her alive. Looking back, she realizes that her last arrest—the one that landed her behind bars—probably saved her life. From there, she home-planned to CORE.
Even as she spoke openly about her past, Heather has emerged in recovery with serenity, purpose, and a deep commitment to helping others. She repeatedly spoke about her gratitude–for God, for the people who helped her, and for CORE. And she said, “For the first time in my life, I feel at peace and content. I’m happy. I have purpose. We all have bad days, but these days, I don’t have very many.”
More than anything, she credits prayer for shaping the life she has today. Heather is a firm believer in the power of talking to God, saying “Today, before I make a major decision, I pray. I’ve never been that person before. I used to do whatever I wanted without thinking, or I’d just ask myself if something would benefit me. Now I pray. And every time, God gives me clarity.”
She shared several examples of how prayer has transformed her. One of the most striking is how she no longer allows fear to control her. “Praying about things changed me. If fear tries to creep in, I’m like, uh-uh! I will not live my life in fear. I will not. Because God does not want that.”
Notably, her decision to work for CORE was made through prayer. But perhaps most powerfully, prayer helped restore her relationship with her children. “I asked God for a clear sign—one I wouldn’t misinterpret—because I wanted to reconnect with my daughter. The next morning, I had a new friend suggestion for her on social media. I sent a request, and she accepted. For the first time in seven years, we talked. And she said, ‘I love you, Mom.’”
Having recovered, Heather holds a new perspective on her past, helping her see how her struggles can now serve a greater purpose. “I believe we’re given trials and tribulations—not to break us, but to test us and build our faith. I believe that 100%.” She pointed to a verse from 1 Peter that resonates deeply with her: “After you have suffered a little while, God Himself will restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.”
We asked Heather where she sees herself in five years. Without hesitation, she said, “God put me here for this. I had to be born into this life, raised in it, and go through all the sadness so I could help people today. Five years from now, I hope to still be here helping people find recovery. I truly believe this is where I’m meant to be.”
We at CORE are so happy for Heather and the life she has built through perseverance, prayer, and service to others. Her recovery is a testament to the power of God’s grace and the 12 Step program. Today, she stands not just as a survivor but as a powerful example of what God can do in our lives when we are willing!