Woman Shows Her Grandma & Mom's Miraculous Transformations After She Spent A Year Helping Them Get Sober
Having a supportive and unwavering family helps those struggling with addiction more than they may ever know.
Halfpoint | Shutterstock After both her mother and grandmother had been battling addiction, a woman decided to do everything in her power to help them get clean and stay clean. She has documented the emotional journey on social media, updating followers on their sobriety
The women have made quite the transformation over the last year, all thanks to the dedication and kindness of their daughter and granddaughter.
The woman captured the transformative journeys of her mother and grandmother as they focused on their sobriety.
Mistena Elliot has spent the last year of her life dedicating herself to helping both her mother and grandmother, who are struggling with addiction and substance abuse, achieve sobriety. However, it hasn’t been an easy journey, given their circumstances and living situations.
Mistena’s grandmother’s addiction started after the two were in a car wreck that nearly took both of their lives, and she began taking medications to manage her pain.
After suffering from a stroke in 2013, her grandmother’s condition worsened, along with her living conditions.
Her house became so dirty and cluttered that it attracted roaches that soiled her bedsheets, causing her to suffer from multiple UTIs.
Mistena’s mother was living in similar conditions and suffered a psychotic episode that landed her in the hospital for days.
While Mistena tidied up their home and replaced the damaged and decaying furniture, her mother trashed everything quickly, especially given the number of people coming in and out of the house.
“I didn’t think saving my mom would ever be possible,” she admitted.
In order to truly help them achieve sobriety and get them on the right path, the woman adjusted her life as a stay-at-home mom of two to be their full-time caregiver.
She opened her home to them and ensured that they were being fed and taken care of.
“She [Mistena’s grandmother] lived on my couch for about 40 days, and I was her full-time caretaker during that time,” Mistena said. “I got her established with a primary care physician as well as a psychiatrist.”
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However, she confessed that when it came to helping her grandmother get sober, it was a constant process of two steps forward and two steps back.
“She even got arrested one day because of one of her outbursts,” Mistena said. “But then she’d wake up one day and be in a great mood, and I’d do her hair, and I’d do her makeup.”
Even though Mistena moved her grandmother in to help her in every way she could, she understood how out of place she felt not being able to live independently.
Eventually, after a few weeks of sobriety, her grandmother was able to move into her own home. Unfortunately, she relapsed after 72 days of being sober. Mistena is currently helping her to stay clean and checking up on her daily.
In the meantime, she was also focusing on her mother and encouraging her on her sobriety journey.
During her first few days of going cold turkey, Mistena decided to take her mother on a little getaway to Florida to keep her spirits up. “I really think the ocean is exactly what Mom needed,” she shared in a video of her mother walking into the water sporting her new swimsuit.
While her mother experienced some brutal withdrawal symptoms during the trip, she appeared to enjoy her time otherwise, getting in some much-needed family time.
She also passed her first drug test in eight years while they were in Florida!
Once they were home, Mistena treated her mother to a complete makeover, including a mani/pedi, new hair color, new dentures, and makeup — and she looks absolutely stunning!
Most importantly, she appears to be happy and healthy.
“I couldn’t be more proud of her!” Mistena said.
The house that her mother used to live in has since been shut down by the city, and her former partner, whom she once shared the house with, is on his own sobriety journey.
While the woman’s mother and grandmother still have a long way to go, they are headed down the right path with her help.
It is certainly not easy dealing with drug addiction and substance abuse. However, it can be even more difficult being the family member of someone who is addicted.
It may seem as if all hope is lost after endless attempts to get them clean, check them into rehab, and fork over thousands of dollars to bail them out of jail and get them the necessary treatment, all while they are resisting the effort to change and appear to be unappreciative.
As draining as it can be, providing support to our loved ones who are battling addiction is crucial to getting them on the path to sobriety.
They are the guiding hand to getting them the proper treatment at detox centers, providing them with a space to encourage sobriety, and helping them get control of their life back, preferably one that is not dominated by drugs.
Mistena’s emotional and financial support is significantly helping her mother and grandmother reinforce a lifestyle that will aid their long-term recovery. Taking the time to cook them their favorite meal or coloring their hair reminds them that amidst all of the bad they may encounter in life, they will have someone like Mistena guiding them through it.
As her mother and grandmother get better by the day, Mistena anticipates their finances will only get higher. With neither of them working, she is in charge of their living expenses until her mother gets a job and can help them out with the bills.
She has launched a GoFundMe page to raise money that will cover some of their expenses.
She also has a crucial takeaway for anyone who may be dealing with family members who are struggling with addiction.
“I know it’s not my job to keep them sober; however, in the beginning stages, I want to show them how much better life is when you get to experience it and are able to remember each day and be with people who love them.”
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.