‘I didn’t find my drug of choice until I was 22 years old. I had my wisdom teeth pulled. As soon as I put the opiates in my body, I knew that was it.’

Angela Forcina, Commack

“I picked up my first drink at 15, and I knew immediately that the alcohol gave me something that I didn’t have. It gave me peace.

“I didn’t find my drug of choice until I was 22 years old. I had my wisdom teeth pulled. As soon as I put the opiates in my body, I knew that was it.

“The addiction took over and got so bad that I wound up losing custody of my children. I almost died several times, but I knew it wasn’t my time yet. I was in five treatment centers before I finally surrendered and accepted that I was an addict.”

“Eventually I was facing charges. The judge said I could go either into another 28-day facility and get treatment or go to jail. I took the treatment. I kind of knew there was nowhere else to go. I went into treatment, and that was the first time that I really surrendered.

“After treatment, I had to be at Catholic Charities, which was my outpatient program, every day, and then I would go to Narcotics Anonymous, which became a very big part of my life.

“Then, after a year of having [an] immaculate-clean drug test, they gave me full custody of my kids back, and I was able to move back home with my family. I had been staying with my mom. And that’s another process that began. Learning how to step back into my role.

“For years, I had been doing hair in my basement. My mother had four hair salons, so I grew up in this industry. [After] about two years of being clean, I started to build up my following again. My business was booming. But a client had told the town I was working in my basement, and they threatened to take my license away.

“I looked at my husband and I said, ‘This is a sign from God. And this is just another sign that there’s something bigger out there for me. We must open a salon.’”

To every single person who is in pain and struggling with something, there is hope.

“I looked at my husband and I said, ‘I just need you to trust me.’ I had this burning desire. I feel like once you have a burning desire to fight for your own life, there’s a burning desire that comes with everything else that you do.

“I had watched my mother open a business. I had the skills and then put that together with a burning desire to live. It’s going to be an unstoppable situation.

“I was sitting with my husband, and he asked, ‘What are we going to name the salon?’ I said, ‘Hair addict.’ I love doing hair and I’m an addict in recovery. I’m in church basements three times a week saying, ‘Hi, I’m Angela. I’m an addict.’ We both loved the name. The butterfly, which is all over our brand, represents the transformation process. Our salon has been a huge success.

“This work is so significant to me because the women that come in here, I visually can see what the endgame is. It’s a transformation that we go through. What we create here, it’s more than just beauty and hair. It’s about life and overcoming obstacles.

“I’m now on the opiate task force of Huntington. It’s so important to help those who are suffering. It’s also important for me to give back and selflessly, transparently, vulnerably tell everyone who I am.

“I looked at my husband and I said, ‘This is a sign from God. And this is just another sign that there’s something bigger out there for me. We must open a salon.’”

“Today, I have 10 years clean. I am raising three beautiful children with my husband. I’ve owned this salon for six years. We blew up, and I have 25 employees now. I don’t believe it’s because I’m that amazing. I believe that God has a hand on my shoulder, and there was a bigger plan for me.

“To every single person who is in pain and struggling with something, there is hope, and there is a solution. And the way people find that solution is by people disclosing their pain and their truth.”

Interviewed by Maggie Rose Melito