When Virginia Burton, now 48, was first introduced to marijuana at age 6, it set the course for her to become a full-blown addict by age 15.
Her life involved a series of hardships, including three rounds of incarceration, twice with her mother - and a gnawing sense that her addiction would kill her.
But now, her life has completely changed and she's been sober for 8 years and 5 months. In a Facebook post, Burton shared a before and after photo showing her in the throes of addiction and now to encourage others that it's never too late to turn your life around.
The caption read:
"How about that for motivation? I honestly thought I'd die on a park bench with a needle in my arm or by gunshot to the head. I would've never in a million years thought my life would look the way it does today.
Stop selling yourself short. You don't know what tomorrow might bring so you might consider starting today."