In this powerful podcast conversation, Clallam County Commissioner candidate Jake Seegers sits down with Stacey Richards, a local woman who has been sober for more than 25 years. For Richards, September 11, 2001 is more than a historic date—it marks her personal “ground zero,” the first day of a life that would ultimately be rebuilt after addiction nearly destroyed it.
The day before that turning point, Richards had been arrested for possessing methamphetamine. At the time, she says, her life had completely collapsed. Her children had been removed from her care after authorities found drug paraphernalia throughout her home. Looking back now, she says hitting rock bottom was the moment that saved her.
Richards speaks candidly about the role that consequences played in her recovery. For years, she says, family members believed they were helping her by repeatedly bailing her out of jail. What they thought was compassion, she now sees as enablement that allowed her addiction to continue.
Her path to sobriety was not easy. Richards spent six months in Clallam County Jail, followed by six months in treatment. She got sober without methadone or Suboxone, relying instead on a cold-turkey approach—hydration, time, and the painful process of confronting addiction head-on.
She is blunt about medication-based approaches to recovery. Swapping one drug for another, she says, can be like “switching seats on the Titanic.” No matter which drug someone is using, she argues, the ship is still sinking.
Richards credits her recovery to losing everything and facing the full weight of the consequences of her actions. The devastation and pain eventually pushed her to a point where change became possible.
“The fear of change had become less than the fear of continuing with my addiction.”
Today, Richards lives a very different life. She has opened her home to people working through addiction recovery, providing a safe and sober environment where drug use is not tolerated. She also visits juvenile detention centers to speak with young people facing addiction, hoping her story can help them avoid the path she once traveled.
She also shares her perspective on current policies surrounding addiction and homelessness in Clallam County. Richards believes many services intended to help—such as free food, clothing, propane heaters, and other support—can unintentionally allow some people to remain in addiction without facing the consequences that once forced her to change.
“Compassion without accountability is negligence.”
Richards speaks emotionally about how addiction affected others around her when she was using, including the theft of property she committed. She believes many people using drugs today face even greater risks, particularly with the presence of fentanyl.
“Pain is the touchstone of growth.”
Now a grandmother, Richards says her greatest frustration is seeing public spaces affected by addiction and crime.
“Isn’t public health supposed to focus on the public?”
Her story is ultimately one of transformation—from addiction, loss, and incarceration to sobriety, service, and advocacy for accountability in recovery.
🎧 Listen to the full podcast above—or in your favorite podcast app—to hear Stacey tell her story in her own words.
Editor’s Note: CC Watchdog editor Jeff Tozzer also serves as campaign manager for Jake Seegers during his run for Clallam County Commissioner, District 3. Learn more at www.JakeSeegers.com.
