HOPE, Ind. — An Indiana woman shown in a viral picture passed out behind the wheel of a car with a syringe clutched in her fist says she is one year sober.
The photo, taken in October 2016, showed Erika Hurt in a parking lot in Hope, Indiana. Her son, Parker, was found crying in the back seat.
In an effort to raise awareness of heroin abuse, the Hope Police Department shared the photo on Facebook and it quickly went viral.
On Oct. 22, 2017, Hurt took to Facebook to announce a full year of sobriety.
The post read, in part, “Today, I am able to focus on the good that came from that picture. Today, I am a mother to my son, again. Today, I am able to be grateful to actually have solid proof where addiction will only lead you, and today I am able to say that I am ONE YEAR SOBER!”
Hurt told WTHR that she was embarrassed and angry when the photo was first released, but her perspective changed for her son.
“I love him dearly so I wanted to be a productive member for him and raise him correctly, raise him the right way,” she said.