AS WE CONTINUE OUR SERIES ON THE
"FACES OF ADDICTION"
TONIGHT ... WE INTRODUCE YOU TO
ANOTHER YOUNG WOMAN IN
TREATMENT IN ROANOKE.
SHE'S FOLLOWED IN HER MOTHER'S
FOOTSTEPS FROM ADDICTION TO
RECOVERY.
UNLIKE THE WOMAN WE INTRODUCED
YOU TO YESTERDAY .. WHO HAD A
"CHARMED LIFE" IN THE SUBURBS OF
D-C ... KAITLYN ENDED UP AT
BETHANY HALL BY WAY OF WEST
VIRGINIA .. GROUND ZERO OF THE
OPIOD
EPIDEMIC.
BY THE TIME THIS PICTURE WAS
TAKEN OF KAITLYN BERTKA AND HER
OLDER BROTHER ... HER PARENTS
WERE DIVORCED.
SHE SPENT MUCH OF HER YOUNGER
YEARS BOUNCING BETWEEN DAD IN
OHIO AND MOM TRISH IN THE ARMY.
:26-:30
MY DAD WAS TOO STRICT ON ME AND
MY MOM WASN'T STRICT ENOUGH, I
NEVER HAD THE IN BETWEEN LIFE.
LIFE GOT EVEN MORE COMPLICATED
WHEN SHE WAS A
TEENAGER.
KAITLYN WAS PRETTY MUCH ON HER
OWN.
I WAS LIKE 15 WHEN I SMOKED WEED
AND 16 WHEN I STARTED
GOING TO THE BARS, I WAS
DRINKING A LOT. EVERY WEEKEND I
WASN'T AT HOME LIKE I LIVED WITH
FRIENDS FOR YEARS.
COUCH SURFING WITH FRIENDS ...
AND PREGNANT BY THE TIME SHE WAS
18.
AFTER THE BABY .. KAITLYN HAD
BACK
PAIN.
DOCTORS WROTE THE YOUNG MOM A
PRESCRIPTION.
I COULDN'T TAKE CARE OF HIM BY
MYSELF AND MY MOM HAD TO HELP
ME. THEY GAVE ME MUSCLE
RELAXERS, THEY DIDN'T HELP. I
STARTED TAKING LORTABS AND THEN
BASICALLY I GUESS IT GOT IN
MY HEAD THAT I NEEDED THE
MEDICINE.
THE PILLS TURNED TO POWDER ...
AND SHE WAS FACING A
FULL BLOWN HEROIN ADDICTION.
WHEN I STARTED SHOOTING UP AND
I DIDN'T HAVE A HOME. I LOST MY
SON. I DIDN'T HAVE NONE OF MY
FAMILY, BECAUSE I MESSED IT ALL
UP
WITH EVERYONE. I SLEPT WITH
PEOPLE FOR THEIR MONEY. I DID
ANYTHING TO GET WHAT I
NEEDED, IT WAS BAD. EVERYTHING
JUST CRUMBLED REAL QUICK.
KAITLYN'S LIFE WAS FALLING
APART.
IT MAY COME AS A SURPRISE .. BUT
IT'S HER MOM WHO MOST COULD
RELATE TO HER STRUGGLES
AFTER AN INJURY IN THE MILITARY
.
THEY PRESCRIBE ME PAIN
MEDICATION FOR IT AND OVER THE
YEARS I JUST GOT ADDICTED TO IT.
I
MOVED UP TO OXYCONTIN AFTER THE
LORTABS DIDN'T WORK ANYMORE. I
WAS AN ADDICT FOR 10
YEARS.
SHE HAD A HEADSTART ON DRUGS ..
AND HER DAUGHTER WAS
FOLLOWING WITH A THE SAME STORY
STORY LINE. TRISH DESCRIBES HER
HARSH
REALITY.
1:38-1:42
AT ONE POINT IN TIME ME AND MY
BOYFRIEND AT THE TIME, WE HAD NO
ELECTRIC. BUTT TO WE WENT
PROBABLY EIGHT MONTHS WITHOUT
ELECTRIC, BUT WE HAD TO HAVE THE
DRUGS SO IT WAS MORE IMPORTANT
IT SEEMED AT THE TIME. JUST
DRINKING AND DOING DRUGS, IT
WAS PRETTY BAD.
THREE YEARS AGO .. TRISH ENTERED
A 28 DAY PROGRAM AT THE SALEM
V-A AND HAS BEEN CLEAN EVER
SINCE.
NATS??
WITH ENCOURAGEMENT FROM HER MOM
.. KAITLYN MOVED
TO ROANOKE TO ENTER BETHANY
HALL'S RECOVERY PROGRAM IN
MARCH.
SHE LOOKS A LOT BETTER. SHE HAS
COLOR IN HER CHEEKS, YOU CAN
TELL SHE'S A LOT HAPPIER.
HAPPIER AND HEALTHIER ... GOOD
NEWS SINCE SHE'S
EXPECTED TO DELIVER A BABY GIRL
THE FIRST OF JUNE.
I'M NOT MAKING THE SAME MISTAKE.
WHICH I MEAN I'M GOING TO
STRUGGLE DAILY WITH MY
RECOVERY, WITH MY ADDICTION, BUT
I CAN MAKE IT UP WITH THIS
LITTLE GIRL AND BE A MOTHER I'M
WANTING TO BE AGAIN AND HAVE
THE FAMILY WITH MY LITTLE BOY
I'M
GETTING BACK, LIKE I'M GIVEN A
SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE, AT
EVERYTHING AND I DON'T WANT TO
MESS IT UP.
HER MOM MIGHT BE THE GREATEST
EXAMPLE OF HOW SOBRIETY CAN
CHANGE YOUR LIFE. I HAVE MONEY
IN THE BANK, I HAVE
A SAVINGS ACCOUNT AND I'M BUYING
A HOUSE, SO IT JUST MAKES
A BIG DIFFERENCE. TRISH IS
MOVING INTO HER FIRST
HOME .. WHILE HER DAUGHTER SEEKS
THE PATH TO THE AMERICAN DREAM,
IN THIS HOUSE.
WE ARE STARTING FACEBOOK LIVE AT
6:10 WITH EXPERTS ... ANSWERING
YOUR
QUESTIONS.
GO TO THE WSLS 10 PAGE TO LEARN
MORE.
"THE BEST SON EVER....." THAT'S