years CELEBRATING Where Ashley Miller knows the struggles of overcoming addiction when she works with clients at Lifeline Recovery Center of Paducah. She walked in their shoes for most of her life. Born to parents who were addicts, she began using drugs as a pre-teen and continued through her adult life. At age 31, the court ordered her to therapy at Ladies Living Free, the women’s faith-based recovery program at Lifeline. “When I first got into the program I thought it was a bunch of Bible thumpers,” Miller said, in a 2016 VUE article. “Then God turned my heart of stone into a heart of flesh. I was manipulated by my own memories. I allowed my past to control me.” “We are products of our past, but we do not have to be prisoners of it. Today, I’m using my story as a doorway to continue to bring hope to others. I’m convinced that God loved me when I was able to forgive myself.” Throughout the year, VUE Magazine’s staff is revisiting many of the people whose stories have been told on these pages over the last decade. Miller’s story, written by Jessica Perkins, appeared in the July 2016 issue. Last October, Miller celebrated her 10th year of sobriety, but Ashley Miller now? are they she admits that life hasn’t been perfect. “It hasn’t been rainbows and butterflies,” she said. “Even though, to some extent, people would probably say she’s had a successful life and she’s been able to make something out of herself.” And yet, she’s experienced the pain of losing family to addiction. Her mother overdosed. As did her sister. A brother- in-law also. Addiction also claimed her father. Her family experienced other losses, too. “It’s kind of a heart-wrenching story, but the strength I have today and the pain that I’ve experienced, I allow it to manifest into something positive,” Miller said. “And it drives me even further to want to help the next individual who is seeking our help because I know how important it is.” Miller went to Ladies Living Free when the court ordered, and graduated in 2014. As she turned her life over to God and worked through her addiction issues, her journey helped her husband, Eric, to find his own path toward sobriety when he entered Lifeline Ministries. She began working at Lifeline as an office manager and became the executive director three months before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. He worked at Lifeline as well. “I’m scratching my head, going ‘Lord, do you know what you’re doing,’” she recalled. “You know, I don’t think anybody could have prepared us for what we went through and especially the nonprofits that fundraise and depend on the community support for philanthropy…and that was very challenging.” As she took the executive director’s job in 2020, her husband started his own business, M&P Remodeling. “So now he leads a successful remodeling company here in town, and he gets to hire our guys and give them a healthy work environment,” she said. “He’s able to give back to them. We kind of walked through this journey together, and now being able to see him venture out and chase his own dreams. We owe that to Lifeline.” MILLER USES HER PAST ADDICTIONS TO HELP OTHERS OVERCOME THEIRS { b y L e i g h L a n d i n i W r i g h t • P h o t o s b y A m b e r T a y l o r } INTHEVUE.COM | MARCH 2024 61
