- Alcohol
- Friends & Family
submitted by: Susanne Johnson
Roger came to volunteer at the Heroes in Recovery race in Leiper’s Fork. He just graduated from rehab three days before the event, and has spent 28 days in residential treatment in Lewisburg. He points out that he really thinks he got a second chance to get his life back together and that he learned a lot in his days of treatment.
He was tired of the way he was living and finally had enough of it. He wanted to quit for a long time, but he just didn’t know where to get started, until he found his chance to enter a treatment center. He was never a big drinker and he didn’t like the alcohol. His problems were drugs in general, and especially methamphetamine. Roger is 31 years of age today and was using since he was about 15. Before he turned to meth, he was really big on opioids and opiates.
The time in treatment did not seem to be too hard for him. He considers it a great experience and he is very happy about the friends he made there. “There is nothing to be afraid of,” he wants to tell people who have not tried to get into recovery yet.
Roger is currently in a sober living home and his biggest goal is to stay sober and get his family back together. His wife went to treatment as well and is at this moment in a sober living house in Knoxville, while their children are in the care of other people. He wants to get a job, a car, and a home to be able to get back together with his wife and kids very soon. He will stay at least a half year in this halfway house to stabilize his recovery while he starts looking for a job. He used to work at a saw mill before he went to rehab and he really enjoyed the work there. Knowing it would be bad for his recovery to return to his town where he used to live, he is looking now for a similar position elsewhere. He is looking forward to start his life all over. Roger is attending 12-step meetings almost every day and is happy to have a brand new life today.
He would like to encourage people to give recovery a try. There are lots of people out there to help and if somebody wants to get it and change his or her life, he has all chances. Roger has four sisters and none of them has a problem with addiction. One of his sisters and a friend of his helped him get into recovery and they continue to be his support system today. Roger used to like to run and really likes it. Today he is not yet in the condition to run, but he is working to get back in shape and hopes he is soon able to join sports events again not only as a volunteer helping out, but also as a participant.