Stephanie Heyen is a US Navy Veteran, who suffers from Alcoholism and Addiction, as well as, PTSD, MST, Depression and Anxiety. She faced a tough childhood, coming from a family background deeply affected by alcoholism, addiction, and mental health issues on both sides. Her journey to overcome these challenges has been quite challenging. After leaving the Navy, she became a housewife and had two beautiful daughters. She has struggled with alcoholism all throughout her life since she was a young age of 13 years old. In 2019, she made the pivotal decision to embark on the journey to sobriety and sought assistance at Warriors Heart. During her time in the program, she confronted the challenges of a divorce that resulted in her daughters and ex-husband relocating to New Hampshire. Feeling overwhelmed and with a sense of despair, she unfortunately turned to hard drugs as a coping mechanism. This led to a series of legal complications, incarceration, the looming threat of a substantial prison term, and multiple suicide attempts. In 2022, after enduring these significant struggles and seeking support at Warrior’s Heart for the third time, she successfully achieved sobriety, marking a turning point in her life.

When Stephanie went to Warriors heart the third time, she wasn’t admittedly ready, but she felt as if she had no other options. By actively addressing her personal traumas and dedicating herself to resolving mental health challenges, she underwent a transformative journey. In the process, she discovered solace in her spirituality and found a profound connection with what she refers to as her higher power, which she identifies as God. This pivotal moment of internal change inspired her to commit to making a positive impact on the lives of others. She aspired to assist individuals who had experienced similar hardships as herself. She  has made it her goal to give back and help save lives, and to be a woman of strength, dignity and grace, that her daughters can be proud of. Stephanie has been married to her husband Dustin for four years, they struggled in active addiction together and now are growing up and learning to live in sobriety together.

My why:

I am a Navy Veteran and an alcoholic and addict in recovery with lots of mental health and trauma issues. I was angry and fearful and hated everything about myself, I felt like a failure as a momma and as a woman in general. I have struggled my whole life with not knowing who I was and hating the woman I thought I was. Always feeling less than and not enough. I made it out of the grips of hell because of Warriors Heart and God. I now know who I am and have learned to carry myself as a woman of dignity and grace and a woman I can be proud of.  I want to use my story to help others who feel absolutely utterly broken and lost and hopeless like I did. Recovery is my passion now and helping others is what makes my life joyful and happy and free. I also want to make my daughters proud of their momma (since I have given them so much to not be proud of me for)and show them that they can break the generational curse that runs through our family. I want to show them what the term “strong woman” really means and show them that no matter the cards they have been dealt they can achieve amazing things. That they don’t have to have the same story as me.