Who went to jail. Who almost died. Who is in recovery.

She has come to the understanding that she can't toe the line on her own. Her support group has become a lifesaving network of friends, family, counselors and sponsors.

"I can't do this by myself," she said. "I will die. If it wasn't for the support, I would have died."

That's something the 22-year-old wants other addicts to know. Isolation is key to drug and alcohol addiction, and the way to combat the problems associated with addiction is to reach out for help.

Alisha, who asked that her last name not be used, attends a 12-step program for addiction recovery. She began the journey with a 45-day stint at a treatment facility in Columbus and continues to see a therapist now that she's back in Grand Island.

"I came from the depths of hell," she said matter-of-factly.

Her problems began during her sophomore year of high school. She'd been a straight-A student involved in extracurricular activities when she started drinking and using drugs.

"It was a fear killer," she said. "It was a social thing, and I wanted to belong. At first, it was fun. Then it was fun with problems, and then it was just problems. I stayed in that phase for a long time."

She said people with addictions face three realities: jails, institutions or death. Within two years, Alisha was taken to the hospital nine times. The doctors told her she was dying, and she didn't care.

"I hurt everyone in my life," she said. "I had no friends. I was caught up in a bad situation, and at 21 years old, I was a full-blown addict."

She tried detox at a Grand Island facility. She said she was ready because she was tired of being sick but she wasn't willing to take action. Eventually, she went to Columbus.

"My higher power, Jesus Christ, gave me the strength and courage and brought me to the 12 steps and those people," she said. "They're like me. They're my people, and they know what I'm going through."

In her 12-step programs, Alisha found others who had been down her road, who understood the pull of addiction and who were willing to help her. She's come to grips with the knowledge that her addictions are a disease that affects her physically, spiritually and mentally.

"Addiction is in every aspect of my life," she said. "I apply the 12 steps to life and take a negative situation and make it positive. I'm still sick, but I have resources."

Those resources helped Alisha find employment. She worked two retail jobs over Christmas and is now working in just one store. Her employers had enough faith in her to make her an assistant manager, she said.

"I've seen that there's a different way of life," she said. "The spiritual freedom is refreshing."

Alisha, who will celebrate a year of sobriety on Feb. 12, is on step nine of her program. She is making amends with those she hurt while high.

"It helps me clear the wreckage of my past," she said.

Her family members are among those with whom she has mended bridges.

"My family never gave up on me," she said. "My mom used tough love. She had to change the locks on her doors, but she never gave up on me. I owe a lot of where I'm at today to my family."

Addicts believe there is no hope, but Alisha knows now there are resources to help and many of those resources already exist in Grand Island. She attends counseling through the St. Francis Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center and used Vocational Rehab for assistance in finding a job.

"You have to follow your plan," she said of making a 12-step program work.

She acknowledged that many recovering addicts need an advocate to help them get a foot in the door, but she was able to do that much for herself.

Alisha enjoys her job and loves working with the public. Before her sobriety, she worked just enough to "stay loaded on a daily basis."

Now she has a more career-oriented job.

"From where I was to where I am now is amazing," she said. "Without recovery I am nothing."

Alisha also fully understands that her recovery is an ongoing process that will be with her for the rest of her life.

"I can't allow myself to be complacent," she said. "I can't slack off. My addiction is doing push-ups outside the door waiting for me."

Treatment saved her life, and she knows it. She understands that she's isn't "terminally unique." There are others who understand her and where she's been.

"We are all addicts," she said. "We've all earned our seat. I love it; I love the recovery life. It's so much better than where I've been."