Holmes County Spotlight on Recovery: Misty Britnell

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Posted by: Staff
Date: Jul 02 2024 10:07 AM

HOLMES COUNTY:A vital component of combating the presence of drugs in our community is understanding that behind every drug arrest is a story - a story of someone who has lost their way and a family that has been torn apart by addiction.

Sheriff John Tate’s focus on assisting those struggling with addiction to find lasting recovery is just one step in healing families and giving those stories a chance to have a happy ending. Arrest itself is not an ending. Instead, it can be a new beginning.

Each month, we share a story from individuals who have successfully completed a drug rehabilitative program through the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office and are now enjoying a new, fulfilled life of recovery.

Their journey. Their words. A message of hope for us all.

The June 2024 Spotlight on Recovery story comes from Misty Britnell.

My name is Misty Britnell I am 39 years old.  My parents divorced when I was a baby and my mother remarried when I was 8 to a man who already had 2 children. I did not fit into the ready-made family she married into so when I was 11, she took me to go spend spring break with my dad and she never came back for me.

My dad was remarried as well to my stepmom. They tried their best, but they were both very heavy opiate addicts and had no clue how to take care of themselves much less a 11-year-old daughter who was just left on their doorstep. 

I was emancipated at 15 and I got pregnant by 17 with my daughter and her father went to prison 2 months before she was born.  I turned 18 my daughter was born 3 months later, and I was working in the strip club within a month of her being born. 

I started taking pain killers here and there.  I started going to pills mills and for a while I thought I had life figured out.

My dad got sick when I was 25 and he died 6 months later although he battled with addiction, he tried his best and he was my hero losing him devastated me.

The day he died I began using a needle and my life quickly spiraled out of control I ended up in an extremely abusive marriage that landed me in I.C.U. three different times.  I was in and out of jail and that’s what my life consisted of for years.

My daughter moved in with her grandmother on her father’s side because she was scared, she was going to find me dead.

After that any care I had left was gone. I was only living to die. Sitting in jail in Holmes county again I was blessed to hear Rachel Angerbrandt testimony and hearing her story inspired me.  I had never knew much about God and I didn’t have any relationship with him but hearing her story I knew that’s what I had been missing.

I did an application for Jills place that day I called my lawyer and told him I wanted to go to jills place instead of going home on community control.

Two weeks later I was at Jills place . Jills place has changed my life so much I have a relationship with God now and I have genuine relationships with others, and I now enjoy living

Holmes County Spotlight on Recovery: Misty Britnell

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