A Conversation on Recovery: From Prison to Purpose
Host David Millsap sat down with Stacy Wright, a counselor with Lane Change in Lebanon, Missouri, to talk about addiction, recovery, and what real change looks like for people struggling with drugs in our community. Millsap, now the host of In the Box and former Laclede County Sheriff, has known Wright for years through the darker side of addiction and crime.
Today, their connection looks very different. Once on opposite sides of the law, they now share a conversation built on respect and redemption. For Millsap, it was an honor to sit down with someone he had seen at her lowest and now see her using that experience to help others find their way out. This interview shares her story of pain, perseverance, and purpose.
A Life Caught in Addiction
Stacy’s story began early. She started drinking alcohol at ten and using meth at thirteen. By fourteen, she was injecting it. “I spent just a little over 21 years between jail and prison,” she said.
“Five days into a relapse and I was suicidal. That just speaks to how lonely and desperate you become so quickly.”
Her addiction shaped most of her adult life. “I was a drug dealer, not a thief,” she admitted. “I thought I was better than people who stole, but one feeds the other. You can’t separate them.”
Finding Help Through Drug Court
Instead of another prison sentence, Stacy was accepted into Laclede County’s Drug Court. It’s a rigorous program built around accountability, counseling, and support.
“Drug court takes all of your obstacles out of the way,”
She explained. “If you have a problem with housing, they’ll help you figure it out. When I had Covid and couldn’t work, they brought me groceries.”
The program lasts 18 to 24 months and costs $1,800. “It’s not a free ride,” she said. “You have to buy in. You have to want it.” Participants call in daily for testing, attend meetings, and complete therapy. The system helps address the real-world challenges like transportation, bills, and trauma that keep people stuck in addiction.
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From Inmate to Counselor
After graduating from drug court, Stacy began working at Lane Change, a local recovery program in Lebanon.
“When they asked if I wanted to go back to the jail to work, I said, ‘If they’ll let me.’”Now, she counsels people in the same place she once served time. “I’m very brutally honest with love,” she said. “You can’t run game on me. I’ve run all that game. I’m passionate about them never having to come back to jail.”
At Lane Change, she also teaches Seeking Safety, a class that treats PTSD and substance abuse together. “One feeds the other,” she said. “Substance abuse is fed by trauma, and trauma is fed by substance abuse.”
Faith, Healing, and Forgiveness
Faith played a central role in her recovery. “I don’t know if I would have made it if it was not for my complete and utter submission and surrender to Christ,” she said. “I had tried everything else. Nothing worked.”
Forgiveness came slower. “Self-forgiveness is the hardest thing,” she said. “But I’m not that person anymore. I wouldn’t make those same decisions today.”
Millsap asked, “Is it surreal for you, when I think of how many years I saw you in trouble, and now you’re the one going back into the jail helping people, it’s one of the most powerful things I’ve witnessed.”
A Message for Families
Stacy now uses her experience to guide others. “Call us,” she said. “At Lane Change, we have therapists and people who are great with adolescents. If you can get under it early and figure out where the trauma is, you can head it off.”
As their conversation closed, Millsap reflected on what her story represents. “We cannot arrest our way out of the drug problem,” he said. “It’s going to take law enforcement and resources like Lane Change to make real change.”
Getting Help
Lane Change is located at 915 S. Jefferson Avenue in Lebanon, Missouri.
For help or more information, call 417-532-8330.
They provide outpatient counseling, group sessions, and recovery support for adults and teens dealing with addiction.
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