Recovery Spotlight: Courtney Dustrude
A Life Beyond Her Wildest Dreams
Recovery Date: September 29, 2019
“I am living a life beyond my wildest dreams. Recovery is possible. It is worth the pain and discomfort in the beginning.”
Today, Courtney Dustrude is a woman in recovery living a life she once never dreamed possible.
Her recovery date is September 29, 2019. Today, she is a responsible, productive member of society and an active part of her community. Her life is filled with strong friendships, fellowship, purpose, and opportunities to give back and share hope with others.
She lives her life to the fullest today because she remembers a time when she was simply existing.
When Life Felt Hopeless
Before recovery, Courtney describes her life as an overwhelming sense of hopelessness.
She was trapped in addiction and abusive relationships. She would switch from one drug to another. She lost everything, struggled to keep a job, lost friendships, became isolated from her family, and eventually experienced homelessness.
She depended on other people every day.
And underneath it all was a constant feeling of being alone.
Courtney knew something needed to change long before she was able to make that change.
“I realized something had to change a long time ago. I just never had the courage or willingness to change.”
The First Seed of Recovery
Courtney’s first attempt at recovery came when she was 18.
She escaped an abusive boyfriend, and her mother took her in. She entered treatment and was introduced to AA and NA meetings.
She didn’t stay.
But something important happened anyway.
A seed was planted.
Courtney knew where she could return when she was ready.
Years followed with more rock bottoms, another abusive relationship, relapses, and multiple attempts at treatment.
Eventually, Courtney found herself homeless in downtown Spokane and barely surviving.
Then she was arrested.
Her mother took her in again. Courtney moved to Port Angeles, entered treatment, and tried recovery one more time.
This time, something was different.
Courtney surrendered to the disease of addiction and to the program of recovery because she believed this might be her last chance.
Starting With Almost Nothing
Early recovery wasn’t easy.
Courtney arrived with almost nothing.
Not even a pair of shoes.
She had a garbage bag of clothes. No phone. No money. No job. No car. No driver’s license.
She moved into Oxford House and began doing something deceptively simple:
the next right thing.
She was full of fear and self-doubt. Much of what was suggested to her felt uncomfortable, but she did it anyway.
Her past also followed her into her new life. Her abuser found her, and Courtney had to make multiple attempts to obtain a restraining order.
But this time, she didn’t have to face everything alone.
“I had so much support through it all because I was finally honest about my struggles and reached out for help.”
Building a Life Worth Fighting For
Recovery became much bigger than abstaining from substances.
Courtney found support through NA, AA, Oxford House, Step work, her sponsor, and other women in recovery.
Slowly, she began believing in herself.
She got a job.
She became self-supporting.
She developed friendships and became part of her community outside of recovery.
She also discovered things that helped her care for herself and protect her mental health: running, hiking, being in nature, having fun, and finding balance.
Piece by piece, Courtney wasn’t simply leaving an old life behind.
She was building a life worth fighting for.
What Recovery Gave Her
When Courtney describes what recovery has given her, she talks about things that once felt impossibly far away:
Family.
Friends.
A connection to God.
Connection to the world around her.
Self-love.
Confidence.
Purpose.
A life worth living.
And then there is one word that captures so much of what recovery means to Courtney:
FREEDOM.
The woman who once felt trapped, dependent, isolated, and hopeless now has the freedom to make choices, build meaningful relationships, give back, continue growing, and fully participate in her own life.
Still Growing
Courtney is proud of what she has built, but what she is most proud of is something quieter:
“I am most proud that I am still in recovery, still growing, still pushing myself out of my comfort zone.”
Recovery isn’t something Courtney considers finished.
She still works at it.
“Recovery today isn’t about not using drugs. It is about continuing to grow and recover, find solutions, give back.”
Courtney recognizes that she still needs to work on her recovery just as much today as she did in the beginning.
But today, that work also brings possibility.
There is still more to learn.
More room to grow.
More life to discover.
Recovery Looks Different for Everyone
Courtney wants people to understand the power addiction can have over someone who is still suffering.
“The still suffering addict has lost freedom of choice. Addiction is so powerful.”
She also believes there isn’t one single picture of what recovery must look like.
“Recovery looks different for everyone.”
Her own journey demonstrates that.
Her first attempt at recovery did not become her last.
There were relapses.
There were multiple treatment attempts.
There were times when she knew she needed change but wasn’t yet willing or able to make it.
None of those chapters meant her story was over.
Beyond Her Wildest Dreams
If Courtney could speak to the woman she once was, her message would be:
“I am living a life beyond my wildest dreams. Recovery is possible. It is worth the pain and discomfort in the beginning.”
Today, Courtney doesn’t simply describe herself as free from addiction.
She says she loves her life.
Courtney also shared that she has struggled with depression, anxiety, and PTSD throughout her life. Those were things she once worried she wouldn’t be able to handle without substances.
Recovery didn’t make life’s difficulties disappear.
Instead, Courtney says working her recovery has given her tools to face whatever life brings.
She can look for a solution.
She can ask for help.
And she never has to do it alone.
Her Story of Survival
There was a time when Courtney was homeless, isolated from her family, trapped in addiction and abusive relationships, and overwhelmed by hopelessness.
She knew she needed another way to live long before she was ready to take it.
Her first attempt at recovery didn’t last.
Neither did some of the attempts that followed.
But the seed had been planted.
Eventually, Courtney came back.
Today, she has relationships, community, faith, self-love, confidence, purpose, and a life worth living.
But perhaps the biggest difference cannot be measured by anything she owns.
It’s what she has inside.
Freedom.
She is still in recovery.
Still growing.
Still stepping outside her comfort zone.
And living a life she once couldn’t imagine was possible.
This is Courtney Dustrude’s Story of Survival.
Stories of Survival is a Sheryl’s Second Chance Designs project sharing real stories of recovery to encourage hope, challenge stigma, and remind our community that recovery is possible.
Wear hope. Spread awareness. Inspire change.