Erin Wyatt’s addiction started in high school, with cocaine in the school bathrooms. It grew into ecstasy, acid, ketamine, nitrous, and eventually intravenous methamphetamine. By the time it was done with her, she had experienced psychosis, homelessness, and roughly ten stays in jail. Her turning point came behind bars, when her grandparents sat across from her and said they couldn’t keep watching her throw her life away. You need to be with your daughter, they told her, and your daughter needs you.
After her 2018 release, Wyatt entered The Breakaway, a recovery home for women in New Albany, Indiana, founded by Lisa Livingston in 2017. The six-month program combines addiction education, Bible study, AA meetings, and strict accountability. Wyatt graduated, relapsed, and then returned to the program. That return is the part worth paying attention to. She has now been sober three and a half years, serves on The Breakaway’s board, works in real estate, and has rebuilt her relationship with her oldest daughter.
Addiction and recovery show up in every community on the Suncoast, from Sarasota to Bradenton to Port Charlotte. What Wyatt’s story makes clear is that relapse is often part of the journey, not the end of it, and that programs built on accountability and second chances can work. If someone in your life is struggling, the conversation you’re afraid to have might be the one that matters most. Have you ever watched someone you love find their way back? Tell us in the comments.
