By Paris Achen Vancouver resident Shannon Caseri missed nearly a decade of her two daughters' lives because she was high on methamphetamine.
"I thought I was going to die using," Caseri said. "I didn't have any reason to live. I didn't have my kids. I didn't have a home."
On Monday, against those odds, Caseri and her daughters celebrated what will be Caseri's third year of sobriety by joining hands with a crowd of 2,262 people on the Interstate 5 Bridge over the Columbia River.
The human chain of recovering addicts, their friends, family and supporters marked the 10th annual Hands Across the Bridge event, held each year on Labor Day. The stunning assembly on the pedestrian lane of the bridge, along with the Oxfest music festival in Vancouver's Esther Short Park, honors those who have recovered from alcohol and other addictions. It also signals the beginning of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.
Monday's participants together reported a total of about 4,325 years, six months and 12 days in recovery, said Patty Katz, board chairwoman of Hands Across the Bridge Oregon and Washington.
Caseri, 35, contributed about three years of that time.
Caseri tried methamphetamine only once before she was hooked for about 10 years, she said. During that time, she lost her job, her home, her children and other relationships with family and friends. Her mother took custody of her daughters in 2001. She also was in jail 23 times.
She spoke about her path to recovery Monday at the Oxfest. The daylong festival happens in conjunction with Hands Across the Bridge and includes music, testimonies and advocacy activities. "Ox" stands for the Oxford House nonprofit organization. The charity offers group homes to recovering addicts who are committed to sobriety.
Caseri said the turning point in her life was in July 2008 when she appeared in handcuffs and shackles in Clark County District Court on a charge of possession of a controlled substance.
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