- Alcohol
Submitted by: Bo Brown
My name is Von C. and I am a recovering addict. My entire life has been nothing but drug abuse, running away from home and traumatic events.
Today, I would like to talk about how I got into recovery and turned my life around.
I went to a treatment center and maintained nine years of clean time. But the fear of stigma stuck with me when I started my own company and got involved in the church and the community. I wanted to separate myself from my past and the stigma that was associated with addiction.
As my life progressed, I slipped away from the fellowship of the program and just wanted to hide that part of my life. That part eventually caught up with me and I actually forgot about my disease and that it was still alive inside of me. It only took one life crisis to get back into those behaviors and that old way of thinking– and without the fellowship around me, I forgot about my behaviors and actions.
I was brought to my knees and fully surrendered again once my life was in the pit once more. I fully surrendered in a jail cell and fought very hard to get into a treatment center. I was lucky enough to get into a dual diagnosis treatment facility. I was ready. I once heard that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. In that facility, I got serious about recovery and my disease.
Today, I am not afraid of my fears that have controlled me for so long. I am willing to face them head-on and I am discovering that they are not nearly as scary as I thought they were. Those fears caused my addiction to become worse and worse over the years and it is truly that vicious cycle that everyone talks about.
I have learned through my walk in recovery that I am truly learning to love myself again. I am living an honest program, looking at myself and really working the steps. I am looking forward to the future, but I am actually living one day at a time. I am thankful for each day I get and I want everyone to know that recovery is a beautiful thing and your life can be restored. Don’t give up and lose faith in yourself, but have faith in yourself and have faith in God.