Lavender grew up in Santa Rosa with a creative spark and a love of gardening. When she arrived at Athena House, those passions were buried under the weight of addiction.

Her substance use began in high school, when sneaking a drink felt like typical teenage rebellion. “Around here, it’s very normal to drink,” she reflects. “We’d go to a friend’s house, and they’d own wineries, so there would always be alcohol.”

She experimented with psychedelics, cocaine, pills, and methamphetamine. What started as occasional use escalated into something she couldn’t control: “When I turned 23, I accepted that I was a meth user. This was my life, and I was okay with it.”

Deep in her addiction, she engaged in sex work and lost connection with activities that brought her joy: volunteering at a community garden, a job she loved, and her art. “Drugs took away all of that from me, and I didn’t notice at the time. I always blamed everyone else.”

A major traumatic event occurred when Lavender was drugged and sexually assaulted. When the paramedics revived her, she was in psychosis. Her mother admitted her to the hospital, and then to a mental health facility, where Lavender spent two weeks stabilizing so she could move into Athena House.

At Athena, Lavender found something she’d been searching for her entire life: a community. The program helped her dig deep into the root causes of her addiction. Yoga and breathwork gave her tools to reconnect with her body. The structure taught her accountability.

“Coming to Athena House, I learned responsibility for my actions,” Lavender explains. “I feel a lot more empowered now. I know my self-worth.”

Today, Lavender lives in a sober home and is once again making art. Her goal is to study photography at Santa Rosa Junior College, where she plans to work on a photo project celebrating women’s embodiment.

“I can see myself being sober forever. I’m really grateful. I want other assault survivors to know that a clean life is possible for them, too.”