Drugs were once a 'life jacket' for Macalie but this Easter she's found ...

The meaning of Easter has changed drastically for Macalie Adamson.

"It used to be this intense desperation that if I wasn't at church, or if I wasn't at this community, I might re-lapse and end up back on the streets with track marks down my arm," Ms Adamson says.

"This intense fear that if I didn't do that right thing, I'd end up back where I was." 

In a journey marked by 18 years of substance abuse and "overwhelming" mental health issues, Ms Adamson now works as a chaplain — using her experience to help others like her and open more conversations about addiction.

"Now [Easter has] turned into this relaxed, easy-going thing where I know I'm safe [and] I think a lot of people just want to know they're safe," she says.

As 2.2 billion Christians mark Easter this year, for Macalie Adamson and other chaplains like her, the season is a chance to reflect on what modern-day redemption means.

Ms Adamson says childhood trauma led to an undiagnosed anxiety disorder and post-natal depression.

Her mental health deteriorated so much, that she didn't leave her house for six months.

"I couldn't even dress myself," she says.

"The crushing weight of what overwhelmed feels like, some people lash out but I lashed out at myself [and] it robs you of an ability to make decisions that are orderly."

She started using methamphetamine in her early 20s — a drug she said felt like "a life jacket I needed just to function".

"So when you put a drug in that stimulates you, all of a sudden I could think clearly again," she says.

"Within one week I was dealing it; within 18 months I was hospitalised from my first suicide attempt."

Macalie Adamson says her faith helped her find a new life after drugs.(ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale)

Ms Adamson says she'd made multiple attempts to get sober, but ended up "having a relapse that nearly cost me my life".

Her eventual long-term recovery would run alongside her growing Christian faith.

"I handed my life over, as empty as what it was," she says.

"These pieces fell into place — counsellors, pastors, different community organisations, work."

After working as a chaplain at the same women's shelter where she once sought refuge, Macalie Adamson is now based at a community centre in Ipswich.

"Very high needs — a lot of drugs, a lot of alcohol, a lot of crime," she said.

"I'm really open about it — I sit on drug panels, committees, community centres, I talk about mental health... [but] people still don't talk about this drug usage." 

Macalie Adamson says her Easter will be focused on family.(ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale)

Ms Adamson has found a supportive community in her church, which encourages her to use her own experience, when appropriate, to help others.

"I was homeless, I was living rough, I was the person you avoided on the side of the street because they were muttering barefoot up the road," she said.

"The people who I work with do not want to be in the position that they're in — they deserve to have someone who has the ability to be able to speak to that.

"If I could do even just a fraction of something for someone … [then it's] happy days."

Macalie Adamson's story is one that chaplain Kevin Lawler has witnessed, both through his work with the Salvation Army and personally.

He was jailed for several years in his early 40s on charges of the supply of illegal firearms.

"The actual journey from when I'd, it's a cliche, 'seen the light' was mostly during my prison time [when] I started to develop a grateful heart," he said.

Mr Lawler now works at Southport Courthouse helping people navigate the judicial system.

"Getting to know someone, connecting with them and discovering the reasons behind their offending," he says.

"So we can break that cycle of coming back to court, relapsing on drugs or alcohol, getting out of that homeless cycle."

He says Easter is a time to reflect on the past and the importance of forgiveness.

Kevin Lawler is a community engagement officer with the Salvation Army.(ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale)

"It's so easy to look at someone else, or look down on someone else for what they've done, and not look at ourselves," he said.

"Everyone experiences adversity, everyone deals with it differently, but without adversity we wouldn't appreciate when things are good.

"We wouldn't have the need to seek hope."

Hope is something Macalie Adamson has gripped firmly as she faces down a new adversity — breast cancer.

"I do a lot of time at church, but for me this year, [Easter] is very, very intentional around my family," she says.

"I'm creating memories that will last a lifetime."