As a condition to keep her children, the county ordered Janet to stay off drugs and stay away from her abusive husband. The county gave her more than three years of second chances. When Janet returned to her husband and drugs, the county terminated her parental rights and placed her children for adoption.

"I worked for 3 years -- did a number of hearings and they tried to come up with pieces and give me chance after chance to make changes and stay stable and not to use drugs. and I was working really hard at all of those but at the same time I was playing each side. I'd do what they wanted me to do except for one little piece which was seeing the father of those kids and who was telling me that if I do it the way I tell you to do it, it's going to be fine."

Janet fears loneliness.

"I had kids and brought kids into the world so I could love and be loved unconditionally 'cause I had lots to give and I wanted a lot."

Even after Janet lost custody of her children and divorced her husband, she continued seeing him until he beat her so badly she filed assault charges. He was convicted and sent to Stillwater prison.

Less than a year later, Janet thought her life was changing for the better. She had met another man and had given birth to her fifth child. But she and her new partner began experimenting with a new drug: crack cocaine; a drug she found fun and relaxing at first.

"What it gave me when I was in that situation or so I thought it gave me strength or an added sense of being whole, likable and lovable. I was accepted by people."

But after six months on crack, Janet's life turned chaotic once again -- she began chasing highs that fell lower and lower until she was smoking crack to stave off withdrawal and ensuing depression.

Her new partner also started to beat her so she ran to a women's shelter. As part of her agreement for room and board, she had to kick drugs and leave her partner. She couldn't do either and eventually lost custody of her fifth child. In the two years following the loss of that child, she gave birth to two more children: first a boy, then a girl. Both were born cocaine positive. At the time the children were 3 and 2, police raided Janet's home for drugs. Medical records show both children had cocaine in their bloodstreams. Records also show police found drug paraphernalia in the children's room.

"It got bad enough that I was running a drugstore out of my house and was raided and the children were removed from the home."

But the county gave Janet another chance to hang onto to her children and she stayed off drugs for nearly a year. Then she resumed seeing the children's father and smoked crack.

It's been about a month since Janet resumed her sobriety.

As a condition of custody, the court has required Janet to file an order of protection against her partner. She must also undergo drug treatment while her children live with a foster family.

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