When Blossom Rogers became pregnant at 16, that sadly wasn’t the worst thing that had happened to her by that time in her life. She was already a survivor of sexual molestation, and as a result, felt like an outcast, destined to never fit in, no matter where she went.

She married the father of her child soon after, and had two other kids by him. After that relationship ended, Blossom soon began dating around, and met a man who was addicted to smoking crack cocaine, but felt she could change him. While she was unprepared at the time for that challenge, the part of her personality that always wants to help people would rise to the surface, but not before she bottomed out.

Her crack addicted boyfriend routinely stole from her, and unable to cure his dependence, became addicted herself. Her life began spiraling out of control. Because of her crack addiction, she asked her mother and grandmother to take care of her children. It was around this time that jail would become a dominant theme in her life.

Her first stint in prison came after she sold drugs to an undercover cop. She was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days. Nine future arrests would net her a total of 15 years of probation, including two years on community control, a form of house arrest where she can leave only for work and also for up to two hours of time at court-approved locations. None of this would matter, though, as she alternated between rehab and jail, being clean or plagued by relapses.

On her last stint in prison, she began a conversation with a pen pal, and upon being released, moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to be with him. However, she started down the same lifestyle again. This time, though, things were a little different. In her own words, she was sick of being tired, and tired of being sick from the wear and tear that the drugs had on her body. By her own admission, though, she kept relapsing because she was trying to get clean for all the wrong reasons.

Blossom Rogers hit rock bottom when she was smoking in a crack house, and stopped to write God a letter, telling him how tired she was of this lifestyle. From there, she put the crack pipe down and entered a treatment facility, instructing them to not let her leave until she found a place to stay.

On June 4, 2012, she celebrated her eighth straight year of being sober. As part of her treatment plan, and with a lifelong desire to help others, she wrote a book which documented her life as an addict. The title referenced where she would sometimes sleep if she couldn’t find a room.

Blossom got back into church, and moved to Miami, where she would meet her eventual husband. She enrolled in ICDC College’s online Associate Degree program in Alcohol and Drug Counseling. Prior to graduating, Blossom released a sequel to her book. Currently, she is an ordained minister and first-time homebuyer, living with her husband in Alabama.

Blossom enrolled at ICDC College to make her lifelong dreams of helping others become a reality. She wanted to start a treatment center for recovering addicts. Rogers entered ICDC College to give her, as she says, “the book smarts to balance out my street smarts.” Her goal was to get as much knowledge about treatment strategies as possible, and pass on everything she’s learned to help anyone looking to sober up.

While at ICDC College, Blossom says the part she loved most was how easy it was to work with her instructors. They took the time to explain things to her, always answered her questions, and even continued to help her out after graduation. Her favorite classes were ones in which she learned how to create and operate an addiction treatment center, which gave her the direct knowledge of how to achieve her dreams.

Blossom said that if she didn’t have ICDC College, she would still be working a low-end job, with no future, and unable to make a difference in anyone’s life. Her student services advisor helped her create a resume, research treatment facilities where she could start on her career, and even gave her additional advice on how to navigate a competitive job market. Blossom was recently hired as an alcohol and drug counselor at a treatment center in Alabama.

In addition to working and moving forward on establishing a treatment center (the state of Alabama already has her tax consent form and she is applying for 501(C)3 status), she is an avid volunteer who speaks at high schools and colleges about her experiences and how she overcame such challenges.

She tells people that if you want something in life, you just have to go out and get it.

 

For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program, and other important information, please visit our program page at
http://ww2.icdccollege.edu/icdccollege.edu/alcohol-and-drug-counseling-associate-degree