Mental Health

Inspiring Before and After Photos of a Former Meth Addict Goes Viral

By Christine Hsu | Update Date: May 10, 2013 02:34 PM EDT

Former meth addict Shanna White has become a Facebook sensation after she shared side-by-side, before and after photographs showing herself during her addiction and after recovery.

White, who is from Abilene, Texas, said that the before picture shows her after being on meth for eight years and the after pictures shows her clean and sober just six years later.

"I keep that picture to remind myself where it took me, where I was. I felt defeated," White told KRBC. "I look at the other picture and I think, 'Wow, I did it.'"

White's inspiring picture comes with a note that explains how much she values the love and support of everyone around her.

"Today I celebrate my life! 6yrs clean from the grips of meth addiction!" she writes.

"If you are still in the midst of this ugly nightmare please know there is hope. You too can beat this and have a beautiful life. It is NEVER too late. Forgive yourself and know that you are worthy!" White adds. "I am blessed to have the love and forgiveness of all that love me! I love my life and I love all my friends and family that have always supported me."

So far her pictures have received more than 160,000 likes and over 12,000 shares on Facebook,

"I had hoped it would reach some people, more people," she said. "I had no idea it would reach this many people."

"It's just endless. On my phone, it would go to 99+ and I'd click on it," she explained. "Then it would restart over. It did that about five times? I don't know, I lost count."

White hopes that sharing her experience will help other addicts quit and get better.

"All the pictures of meth and the faces of meth pictures that I see, show a person starting from where they are and it shows them deteriorating, but you never see them coming back up," she said. 

White says that she has received countless messages from complete strangers asking her help and advice. And with her picture going viral on the internet, White knows she's not alone in her fight against drugs.

"I didn't go viral," she said. "All the shares, all the likes and all the love from the people that care about this disease, went viral. We went viral."

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