A Bridgeport woman is paying it forward to help others after she turned her life around after years of addiction

Tonya Shelton – speaking publicly for the first time – told News 12 she lost several close family members to drugs and alcohol and didn't want to lose her life as well.

"I was doing heroin, crack cocaine and the opiates, and I fell in love with it,” she said.

Now finally getting clean, she wants to share the joy of her stability and sobriety with others. Shelton is working for a local nonprofit that helps people stay clean and build on their commitment to a healthy lifestyle.

"I work at Continuum Care, which is a crisis center for people with mental health and addiction and I love it because I have to give something back,” Shelton added. “And I'm doing it because my brothers and my nephews passed from this disease, and I just believe I didn't want to die like that."

Shelton acknowledged that gardening is a great way to help keep your body and mind healthy. She eats the food she grows and gives a lot of it away to her friends and neighbors.