I overcame addiction and opened my own candle business

Lisa Devine, 37, runs a candle-making studio in Queens called 2nd Chance Candles. She chose the name to express her belief that your past doesn't define your future and that everyone deserves a second chance. Devine grew up in Putnam County, New York, with plans to pursue dental hygiene, but alcohol and weed during her senior year led to trouble in college.

After being kicked out of the dorms on a dry campus, she moved to New York City, got a job at a café and soon began using harder drugs. In 2011 she was offered heroin and realized she had become a functioning addict when withdrawal hit after her dealer didn't pick up.

In 2016 she was arrested on drug-related charges and faced prison or treatment, so she entered rehab. A five-day detox was brutal and it took months to start feeling okay. She spent 19 months in sober living, studied at a trade school for dentistry and worked as a barista.

United States, Queens, New York

addiction, recovery, rehab, sobriety, heroin, sober living, candle business, queens, drug charges, dental hygiene