photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Tiffany Jenkins spoke at the 50th DCCCA anniversary celebration on Thursday, September 26, 2024.

Today, comedian Tiffany Jenkins has more than 9 million followers and over a billion video views on social media. But in a keynote speech on Thursday in Lawrence, she had some different numbers she wanted to talk about.

The 20 felony charges she faced while in the depths of opiate addiction. The 120 days she spent in a Florida jail. The nearly 12 years of her life that she’s been clean.

And, way back in her past, the first drink of alcohol, in high school, that started her long struggle.

“That sip of alcohol altered the course of my life forever,” she said.

Jenkins was telling her story of recovery on Thursday at the Jayhawk Club as part of local agency DCCCA’s celebration of its own numerical milestone: 50 years of providing social and community services in Lawrence, Douglas County and beyond. She wasn’t a patient of DCCCA herself — she’s from Sarasota, Florida — but she has plenty of experience with what many people served by DCCCA are going through.

Her videos often address mental health and recovery, and she’s published a memoir, “High Achiever: The Incredible True Story of One Addict’s Double Life,” which provides a personal glimpse into her experience with opioid addiction, her incarceration, and her path to sobriety and motherhood.

“I found that the more I shared about the darkest parts of my life that I had always hidden in shame, the more people were appreciative,” Jenkins said.

When Jenkins had her first drink in high school, she said, she had found something that made her feel nothing. She said she felt numb and she chased that feeling like her life depended on it — with more alcohol, then marijuana and eventually opiates.

“I went from being captain of the cheerleading squad (in high school), being this kid that my parents were proud of, to completely dropping out of school,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins attempted to go to rehab, but she admitted she felt obligated to do so rather than genuinely wanting to change. Following her time there, she faced 20 felony charges after pawning several items belonging to her then-boyfriend, a local deputy sheriff, and staging a burglary in her home to steal $100 from him. She also traded several of his firearms to her drug dealer in exchange for pills.

But before she resorted to pawning her past boyfriend’s belongings, Jenkins said that she regretted giving away some meaningful items of her own.

“My grandmother’s necklace that she gave to me when I was born, that I treasured my whole life, meant nothing to me,” Jenkins said.

She spent 120 days in a Florida jail surrounded by officers who hated her for the way she treated her boyfriend. However, she and her previous boyfriend wrote letters to a judge asking if she could go to rehab to get sober.

“That was the day I decided to get help,” Jenkins said.

In her journey to overcome addiction, Jenkins said she learned that there is no such thing as a lost cause, and if she can do it, anybody can do it too.

DCCCA, since it was first established, has sought to create more success stories like hers. It started its life as the Douglas County Citizens Committee on Alcoholism, and it offered residential and outpatient services for adults seeking substance use or mental health treatment. But the organization has since expanded to provide much more than addiction treatment: 24-hour support for foster families across Kansas, education to protect individuals from avoidable injuries or deaths on roadways, and other services.

photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

CEO of DCCCA Lori Alvarado gives opening remarks at the 50th anniversary celebration for DCCCA on Thursday, September 26, 2024.

DCCCA CEO Lori Alvarado said she was grateful to have the privilege of leading an organization that has spent five decades committed to strengthening and transforming communities.

“DCCCA’s journey over these 50 years has been one of growth, resilience and unwavering dedication to people and communities we serve,” Alvarado said. “From our work in behavioral health and child welfare, to prevention and traffic safety, every step we’ve taken has been made possible for collaboration and tremendous support.”

DCCCA Board President Mike Malm said he appreciated that a group of people came together more than 50 years ago and decided that they wanted to improve the lives of those individuals struggling with addiction, specifically alcohol at the time.

“A lot of you have been with us for the last 50 years, and we just want to thank you for being with us,” Malm said. ” … We look forward to partnering with all of you as we go forward to the next 50.”