Recovery Spotlight: Amanda Lampron

“Today, I live by Faith and Positivity.” – Amanda Lampron

Amanda Lampron did not live a charmed childhood, she had a rough upbringing, raised in a home where she experienced physical and emotional trauma at the hands of her father. The tides should have changed after she reached her adult years, but at the age of 19, she began experiencing a series of panic attacks and was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and prescribed an anxiety medication. An uphill battle to manage her anxiety was compounded by a back injury several years later. At 21 years of age, Amanda, was completing a seemingly normal task, giving her 1-year-old son a bath, when lifting him out of the bathtub, she injured her back. This injury led to physician visits, an MRI, ultimately a diagnosis of degenerative disc disease and a prescription for Oxycodone. Little did she know, this was the beginning of her journey to a darker place.

Over time, Amanda became dependent on Oxycodone and her life began to spiral out of control. She was losing everything that she had been working so hard to maintain. She became homeless and could no longer care for her son on a full-time basis, this led her to experience guilt, shame, and sadness over her ability to provide and be a stable parent. Over the next few years, Amanda would continue to use and at the age of 27 her life would change again. Amanda had become pregnant and given birth to a beautiful baby girl. It should have been a joyous occasion, but it was marked by the involvement of the Division of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF). Amanda’s baby girl had been born exposed to substances. Six weeks after the birth of her daughter, Amanda experienced another medical emergency. She had septic shock, and this led to a collapsed lung. After spending a great deal of time in the hospital, Amanda decided that it was time to make a change. She began looking for Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment but there were few options available in the North Country and Amanda was placed on some lengthy waiting lists.

While waiting for an intake to access treatment, Amanda continued to use and was charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI). This charge ultimately led to DCYF removing her daughter from her custody and Amanda began to seek out other treatment options. She began to search for Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) as a pathway of recovery. Amanda was able to access programs at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) and attended the program 4 days a week for 3 weeks. She was working hard to initiate recovery and excited that she was receiving support, it gave her hope. Hope that she continued to maintain, even after she was given yet another roadblock.

Amanda was informed by her DHMC case manager that her situation was too complex and beyond their level of care, they could no longer continue to treat her, but she was able to access another DHMC program. A program in the North Country, a program at Indian Stream Health Center in Colebrook. She was able to transfer services and remain close to home. Amanda became a success story and earned an opportunity to speak with Congresswoman Annie Custer about addiction and recovery. She continued to maintain her recovery, began to run a support group for other struggling with SUD and had found her purpose.

Amanda’s substance use had led to many losses in life, but her recovery led to many joys! Amanda became independent, secured her own vehicle and stable housing, developed healthy boundaries, and reunified with her children and her father. Today, Amanda is employed as a Certified Recovery Support