Homeless drug addict is now stable mother-of-three after miracle recovery 

A pregnant mother-of-three was homeless and injecting $500 of heroin and meth every day at the height of her drug addiction – and has now lived to tell the story of her journey to recovery.

Single mother Lindsey Kaye Jones, 31, from Augusta, Georgia lives with her 13-year-old son Cameron and twin daughters, Maci and Mackenzi Jones, born in 2018. 

For years, Lindsey was hooked on several substances, which included cocaine, heroin, oxycodone, and her addictions rendered her homeless. 

The mother who first became addicted to cocaine aged 16, would do anything to get her fix. 

In 2018, pregnant with Maci and Mackenzi, she kept using during her first trimester, however, guilt pushed her to find help to fight her addiction. 

Two years on, Lindsey is now a stable mother-of-three helping others overcome their drug addiction.

Lindsey, who is the oldest of four siblings in her family, was raised by a military dad who served in the Army, and had to move home every few years due to her father’s job.

She struggled with low self-esteem and high anxiety due to the ‘traumatizing’ life changes, having to constantly move to new environments during her childhood.

She described her home as emotionally abusive, because her parents placed high and ‘unrealistic’ expectations on her, facing constant criticism and humiliation, causing her to never feel like she was good enough.

‘There was very little praise or validation, constant criticism and humiliation,’ she recalled. 

‘I never felt like I was good enough as I was and that I needed to do everything perfectly in hopes of finally receiving the approval I so desperately wanted.

‘Love was also very conditional, so I learned from a young age how to manipulate certain things to get certain results.  

‘My mother seemed to try to overcompensate for my dad’s harsh nature, which would eventually breed some major enabling and co-dependency issues between us.’

At ten-years-old, Lindsey started self-harming and was later diagnosed with depression after her parents brought her to see a psychiatrist. 

‘On one side, I was being devalued, beaten down emotionally, and always trying to make this person proud of me or love me, which never allowed me to figure out or explore who I was and what I liked or wanted to do.

‘On the other side, I had someone who would do everything for me, “save me” from the consequences of my actions, and one parent who never really allowed me to make mistakes to learn and grow from.’

Lindsey started drinking alcohol at the age of 12 and two years later, tried marijuana for the first time.

By 16-years-old, she was addicted to cocaine and would experiment with all types of drugs on the market, including ecstasy, pain medication and Xanax along with drinking alcohol and smoking weed.

Lindsey would fuel herself with cocaine to finish up her high school projects, and that was when she realized drugs took a hold of her life.

In 2007, Lindsey was given doctor prescribed pain killers after giving birth to her son, Cameron, via C-section and became hooked on them.

Over the next few years, Lindsey would consume as many oxycodone pills as she could get her hands on to keep her from going into withdrawal as her drug addiction spiraled out of control.

She was living in hostels and became a prostitute so she could earn enough money to fuel her drug addiction.

By 2018, Lindsey was injecting heroin and taking oxycodone regularly to feed her habit, injecting up to $500 worth of drugs every day.

Lindsey overdosed over 14 times in 2013 alone and found herself slumped against the bathroom floor of her home for several hours at a time. 

Recalling the moment her drug addiction spiraled out of control, Lindsey said: ‘I was 17-years-old at that time and I was up late one school night finishing my senior project that was due at school the next day.

‘I had some cocaine that I had gotten earlier that day and up until that point, I had really just been using it socially and I was still able to put it down when I wanted or needed to.

‘Since I was going to be up late, I figured I’d do a little bit just to help me stay up and stay focused.

‘After that first line, this intense and overwhelming compulsion kept taking over and compelling me to do “just one more line” until it was all gone. 

‘In 2007, I was prescribed pain pills after giving birth to my son via C-Section.

‘By 2010, I was snorting as many oxycodone pills as I could get my hands on just to keep from getting sick and going into withdrawal.

‘By 2012, I was injecting heroin and oxycodone regularly and doing whatever I had to do to feed my habit.

On some instances, she was rushed to hospital but became angry and furious at staff.

‘I remember being so angry, crying and screaming out, “Why didn’t you just let me die”?’. 

‘Before entering treatment in 2018, I had been injecting $500 worth of heroin and meth every single day for the past few years.    

Since 2008, Lindsey attempted rehab but would do the ‘bare minimum’ to get her family and the court on her side again – but would eventually return to her vices.

In 2018, Lindsey fell pregnant with her twin daughters but continued using high amounts of heroin and meth during her first trimester.

However, the guilt consumed her and she reached out to an old support group to try and kick her drug habits once and for all for the sake of her unborn children.

On 15 December 2018, Lindsey gave birth to two healthy baby girls, Maci and Mackenzi, and realized she finally had a ‘purpose’ in life and a reason to live again.

Lindsey has now been sober for more than two years with no plans of going back to her old life.

She now works at the treatment center that aided her in her recovery and has helped to start 12 drug recovery groups in her area to give back to her community.

Her self-esteem has also improved tremendously and she now has better relationships with her friends and family.

She said: ‘Since finding recovery, my life has changed in ways that I never imagined possible.

‘On top of being a newly sober single mother to newborn twins, I accomplished more in that one year at Hope House than I had in my entire life.

‘I got my driver’s license back after it had been suspended for five years and I got a car.

‘I was allowed to rent a house in a much nicer and safer area than I qualified for at the time.

‘I was hired to work at the same treatment center that never gave up on me and helped me acquire the necessary tools to maintain long-term sobriety. 

‘My self-esteem is higher than it’s ever been and I’ve learned to focus on making personal progress, rather than striving to achieve someone else’s idea of perfection.

‘I helped start up two new 12 step groups called Heroin Anonymous and Medication-Assisted Recovery Anonymous in my area.

‘The relationships with my family are constantly improving and I am so grateful and so blessed to have a family that is so loving and forgiving, and who has never given up on me, despite everything that I have put them through.

‘I have a strong and ever-evolving relationship with my Higher Power who has, thankfully, never left my side.

‘I can give back and help others who are still struggling.

‘I have worked hard to repair and build my credit so that my children and I have better options in the future.

‘I set goals and I work hard at achieving them because I’m excited about what the future holds.

‘I have integrity and I believe in doing the right thing simply because it’s the right thing to do.

‘I’m redefining who I am, what I deserve, what I want, and what I like and I’m learning how to set boundaries that support and protect those beliefs.

‘I am a mother, daughter, sister, and friend that my loved ones are proud of and actually want to have around.

In a few words of advice to others who are struggling with drug addictions, Lindsey said: ‘My advice would be to simply just reach out!

‘Join some addiction recovery support groups on Facebook. Find some local meetings that you would be willing to try out.

‘Reach out to that person you see on social media who is open and honest about their struggles with addiction but has since found recovery.

If opiates are your drug of choice, look into Medication-Assisted Treatment options, such as Suboxone.

You don’t have to commit to making any drastic changes that same day, but even for those of us who have managed to put some sobriety time together, just being connected to and surrounding ourselves with other people who have been exactly where we have been, is so important.

They can understand exactly what we are going through is one of the most powerful and effective tools that we have to help us be successful in recovery.

‘We can’t do this alone and thank goodness we don’t have to.’