The incredible story of a woman’s recovery from heroin addiction has been commented on and shared thousands of times since first appearing on Reddit earlier this week.

Sharing a side-by-side comparison image of herself, the woman – known only as DisregardThisOrDon’t – wrote, “Here is what 826 days sober looks like. Left is me June 11th 2014, on the right is me today. Recovery is possible!”

In the first image, the woman’s skin is blotchy, her eyes sunken. In the second image, though, she looks radiant, healthy and happy.

The woman during the midst of her heroin addiction. Image via Reddit.

Expanding on her experience in the comments section, the mother-of-one says she fell into addiction while in an abusive relationship.

"Without delving too deep I'll just say that I was in a really abusive relationship that led to my daughter going to live with my mother," she began. "She is my whole world, so when that happened I fell into a deep depression and leaned to my abusive boyfriend for emotional support. His answer to making me feel better was heroin."

The woman then says that after eight months of using heroin daily she went to jail for 36 days for a contempt charge.

Then and now: a side by side comparison of the woman during and after her heroin addiction. Image via Reddit. 

Appearing in court on 11 June 2014, the woman admitted she had been using heroin to the judge presiding over the case of her daughter's guardianship and asked for help.

"He found me in contempt of court and put me in the county jail until he could find me a bed in a rehab. From there I went to the best rehab in my state. Recovery has been an uphill battle, but now I am at a point where it all just feels like a bad dream."

The woman says she decided to share her story in the hope that it would be inspiring to any others struggling with addiction and in need of help.

The woman has since been reunited with her daughter. Image via Reddit.

"...when I found my mugshot I felt so bad for that girl. I wanted to hug her and tell her it will get better. I then realized that girl is still out there somewhere.She isn't me anymore though. There are other addicts out there who are in the same circle of hell that I was in in that mug shot. So even if one of those people see this and get their shit together, then it was worth it."

Finally, the mother - who has since been reunited with her daughter - says, "I have finally gotten to a point where it all seems like it was a bad dream. It's taken a lot of hard work and a lot of discipline."

Anyone seeking information or help with addiction can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or online.