Julia’s journey with mental illness and substance use began early. She was just 11 years old when she first started drinking and smoking. Both her parents struggled with substances throughout her formative years (now in recovery). “My childhood wasn’t very organized,” Julia says. “It started with mental health problems, and from there it was a rabbit hole of experimentation with substances, but the fun became not so fun the more I took.”

The one grounding activity for her was sports where she found purpose and discipline. “I had great coaches who really cared about me. I cared about them, too, so I listened,” she recalls.

Academics were difficult—especially with undiagnosed ADHD, depression, and anxiety—but sports gave her a reason to keep trying. “I love sports, but the threat of being benched for noncompliance was humiliating. The girls around me seemed to have it together. I was living a façade, trying to hold it together, but couldn’t keep up.”

When COVID hit during high school, that support system disappeared. “It was isolating. Sports were canceled. School went remote. I never saw some friends again,” she says.

That’s when things spiraled. Julia turned to alcohol and cocaine. A workplace intervention led her to inpatient rehab out of state, but 12 days after discharge, she relapsed.

“I picked up right where I left off and realized I can’t control this alone. I need more accountability and help than just going away.”

Julia found the structure she needed through MaineHealth Behavioral Health’s Contingency Management (CM) program in Brunswick. She credits the program specifically for misuse of stimulants, like cocaine, with keeping her focused. “It flipped a switch. When you’re showing up, doing the work, and seeing progress—it’s powerful.”

Today, Julia is active in the recovery community, speaks publicly about her journey, and draws strength from connection—her sponsor, care team, faith, and community. She coaches middle school softball, attends daily meetings, and works with a psychiatrist to manage her mental health. She knows connection is key to staying in recovery.

Julia hopes to work in the recovery field and own a home with land where she can find peace—and give back.

“Recovery has given me the chance to think clearly, be present, and live a life that’s second to none,” she says. “I’m 22 and finally building the life I’ve always dreamed about.”

Last year, MaineHealth became the first in Maine to offer a new kind of treatment for people who use drugs like cocaine or meth. It’s called Contingency Management (CM), and it’s the only treatment that has been proven to work well for people with Stimulant Use Disorder.

CM is a simple idea: when someone makes healthy choices, they get a small reward, typically a gift card that cannot be used to purchase alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, or firearms. In Julia’s case that meant testing negative for drugs. These rewards help people stay motivated during recovery.

The program is based on a successful model from California, and MHBH worked with national experts who helped create it.

Medicaid only allows $75 a year for rewards, which isn’t enough to make the program work. So, the MaineHealth Innovation Center provides additional funding to provide up to $599 per patient, given out through gift cards that cannot be redeemed for cash or used to purchase alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, or firearms. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services helps to cover the additional costs of running the program.