My European name is Jacqueline Lucero. Most people call me Jacque. I am an American Indian/Spaniard two spirit woman that walks between the worlds. I am in active, sustained, long-term recovery from substance use disorder and mental health challenges. My journey into recovery began November 28, 2010, when I found that I wanted to live more than I wanted to die. I walked into a 12-step fellowship and my life was changed for the first time. I had found a way to stop abusing alcohol and stop participating in self destructive behaviors with the help of a woman named Trisha Maki, but there was still something missing. 

Almost 2 years into my recovery process I was taken to a backyard where I thought I was just going to sweat out all the unresolved turmoil that resided inside of me with strangers that sang songs in a different language. What I found was something much more. During that inipi ceremony, I was asked by my Creator to step onto the Red Road of my recovery as I was introduced to my ceremonial family. During inipi, Creator breathed on the ember of desire inside of me that had been placed there before I was born. It was that evening, that inipi ceremony that my life had been changed for the second time. I realized I had been prayed into existence by the Ancestors and I deserved a healthy, joyful, fulfilling, and free life.

Tonya Wheeler was there that first night so long ago that I walked into the rooms of recovery and has watched my passage though recovery always encouraging me to honor my culture and in turn, honor myself. Tonya and I had a heart-to-heart conversation about a year ago about me joining the Advocates For Recovery team. I admit that I did falter, feeling unworthy, uneducated, and inexperienced in the recovery field. I asked Tonya for some time to think about, at which point I took that prayer to that particular backyard, and I left the outcome in Creator’s hands…I joined the Advocates for Recovery Colorado team February 2022 as a Peer Recovery Coach and started working with participants, facilitating meetings, and organizing RecoverWE events. Again my life has been changed.

Because of recovery, I have been able to embrace with courage and pride being a two spirit Indigenous woman and growing in the cultural ways of my ancestors. I have found that ceremony has healed the parts of me that I thought were not worthy of attention without shame or blame. I have grown to embody love…love of Mother Earth and all creation, love of others, love of both my cultures, and love of self.

 I have learned the prayers of my culture and teach them to others so that they have an opportunity to find the joy and peace that resides in themselves. I can give myself grace when difficulties arise and when I make mistakes, which gives me the courage to right what I have done wrong and find a solution to live in.

Because of recovery, I can walk upon Turtle Island no longer chained to a bottle, imprisoned by bulimia, or frozen by suicidal thoughts.

My European name is Jacqueline Lucero. Most people call me Jacque. I am an American Indian/Spaniard two spirit woman that walks in between worlds. I am in active sustained long-term recovery. I am healthy. I am joyful. I am fulfilled. My life has been changed. Today, I am free…