Veronica Wishert is putting her mistakes in the past by attending a rehab center for her pain pill addiction.
"If I didn't feel good that day, or I didn't have energy, I would just pop a pain pill," Veronica explained. "And 'boom' there it goes."
And she went through great lengths to get her fix. From changing her name, stealing from others and even her children selling their things for her drugs.
"It was even as far as my daughter would lie for me. She would see me putting pills away and her hiding them for me," Veronica said.
Veronica's councilor explains that it's easy for addicts to hurt their loved ones, because they don't realize how destructive their behavior is.
"You think that you're doing the right thing, by psychically being there. But mentally, you're not there while intoxicated," said Rey Sandoval, program manager at the Abilene Dream Center.
"It's like a cancer. It just clings to your body and holds you down," said Nicole Neal.
Nicole was addicted to meth and, like Veronica, it was taking over her life.
"I was sneaking out at night, driving around with a meth pipe in my sock at 3 o'clock in the morning while pregnant," she recalled.
Looking back, Nicole says she felt a lot of guilt while using because she knew better.
"I knew what I was doing was wrong. But at the same time I didn't know how to stop doing what I was doing."
Now sober, both women explain that it was their addiction that caused them to hurt others. And while it may not make sense to non-addicts, it's just the way that an addicted mind works.
"You basically sell your soul to the devil. That's what's happened," said Veronica. "Once you've sold your soul to the devil, you don't think about anybody else. Once that's gone, you don't think about no one else, and that includes your children."
Veronica is only a few weeks into her time at the Dream Center, but Nicole has graduated from the nine-month program and will be reunited with her family by December.
"If I didn't feel good that day, or I didn't have energy, I would just pop a pain pill," Veronica explained. "And 'boom' there it goes."
And she went through great lengths to get her fix. From changing her name, stealing from others and even her children selling their things for her drugs.
"It was even as far as my daughter would lie for me. She would see me putting pills away and her hiding them for me," Veronica said.
Veronica's councilor explains that it's easy for addicts to hurt their loved ones, because they don't realize how destructive their behavior is.
"You think that you're doing the right thing, by psychically being there. But mentally, you're not there while intoxicated," said Rey Sandoval, program manager at the Abilene Dream Center.
"It's like a cancer. It just clings to your body and holds you down," said Nicole Neal.
Nicole was addicted to meth and, like Veronica, it was taking over her life.
"I was sneaking out at night, driving around with a meth pipe in my sock at 3 o'clock in the morning while pregnant," she recalled.
Looking back, Nicole says she felt a lot of guilt while using because she knew better.
"I knew what I was doing was wrong. But at the same time I didn't know how to stop doing what I was doing."
Now sober, both women explain that it was their addiction that caused them to hurt others. And while it may not make sense to non-addicts, it's just the way that an addicted mind works.
"You basically sell your soul to the devil. That's what's happened," said Veronica. "Once you've sold your soul to the devil, you don't think about anybody else. Once that's gone, you don't think about no one else, and that includes your children."
Veronica is only a few weeks into her time at the Dream Center, but Nicole has graduated from the nine-month program and will be reunited with her family by December.
