OHIO — Kayla Kitchen is a mom of two, with another baby on the way due in April.

“The life I have now is so much more than I could have ever dreamed," she said.

What You Need To Know

  • Treating addiction like a disease, that’s the approach of one addiction treatment center with locations all across Ohio
  • BrightView said its comprehensive care of medical treatment and psychological therapy helps patients achieve long-term recovery
  • One mother credits the center with keeping her sober throughout her pregnancy

She’s been coming to BrightView’s addiction treatment center in Elyria for most of her pregnancy, after feeling concerned she may relapse.

“I was having withdrawal symptoms and cravings and things like that. I was really in a bad spot," she said.

Kitchen has been sober for four years and BrightView has helped keep the 25-year-old on track.

Her battle with addiction started when she was around 11 years old.

Drinking and smoking weed became cocaine, opiates and eventually heroin and crack, according to Kitchen.

She said her life became a vicious cycle of getting high, going to jail, and then rehab.

But after she became pregnant with her now six-year-old daughter, Evelyn, she stopped using and could even breastfeed. However, her boyfriend at the time was abusive and one night, a traumatic event triggered old habits.

“He held a gun to my head and to her head and I thought I was gonna die that night and I think just going through all of that kind of just pushed me back toward numbing my feelings instead of dealing with them," she said.

She later reconnected with her now fiancé, Andrew, and had another baby, Amery, who is now three.

Their love and support helped her get clean for good.

“They’ve been a huge factor in me staying sober and my recovery and I don’t know what my life would look like right now without them,” said Kitchen.

The combination of medical treatment, psychological therapy, and social services at BrightView has been a game changer for Kitchen.

BrightView said patients decrease substance use by more than 70% and many achieve complete abstinence after treatment. 

Same day scheduling and walk-ins are available to give people in need access to resources right away.

For Kitchen, finding medications that are safe for her baby that treat her anxiety and addiction has made a big difference. 

“Never felt any judgement from anybody here, which has been great. It’s been amazing," she said.

Kitchen said the counselors and medical staff have helped her be the best version of herself and stick to her goals.

“I fought so hard to get where I am today. So, I’m not giving up on that, you know, that’s not an option for me," she said.