Cars pass by a little girl walking in the street with nothing but a water bottle in her hand. People stare and wonder where her parents are, why she is walking alone, and why she is wandering the streets.

Seven-year-old Anniston Roper had nothing better to do in the middle of Dalhart, Texas, than to walk around town by herself.

“Growing up, addiction affected both my mother and father,” Roper said. “I was around substances no little kid should even know about. Because my parents were so heavily involved in drugs, I didn’t have any supervision over me, so I would go on walks in the middle of town all the time because no one was there to stop me.”

Roper watched her parents’ lives get ripped apart by drugs and grew up with circumstances that were constantly changing.

“My mom and I got evicted countless times, and I lived with so many different families when I was little and felt like I pretty much knew everyone,” Roper said.

At times, Roper said she found herself questioning why these were the cards that she was dealt with and struggles with resentment towards both of her parents.

“Growing up, I thought, why couldn’t I live a normal life, have a normal family, and parents who loved and cared for me,” Roper said. “It took a huge toll on me and made my life nothing near easy.”

Roper knows firsthand what addiction can do to someone’s life. The National Institute of Health claims that children who have parents who are addicts are four to eight times more likely to develop an addiction of their own. Roper makes it a key point in her life never to become this statistic.

“Because of watching what drugs did to my parents, I’m terrified to touch it,” Roper said. “I already know from addiction being hereditary that I have an addictive personality, so I will never put myself in a position for it to take hold of me and my life.”

Her family adopted Roper when she was 13, and she has not only become a successful student but person. She said what keeps her motivated is fear.

“Why I push myself as hard as I do is because I am so fearful and turning out like my parents,” Roper said. “It is terrifying to me not being able to have control over myself and my life, and I know that drugs could do that to me.”

Roper said she used to see success as simply doing what you need to do to get by. As a child, she had no idea where money came from and showed no interest in finding out. She now defines success as maintaining discipline and avoiding stagnation.

“I now have an orthodontist internship, have had a consistent job going on two years, and have maintained good grades in school,” Roper said. “So, I see success as something that is not given to you, and once you have it, you shouldn’t get comfortable and stay stagnant; you keep pushing. The view that I have has helped me become successful in ways the people around me were never able to.”