- Drugs
- Mental Health
Submitted by Sue
About 5 years ago I met Ed. He is one of the many new friends we have made along this road of addiction and recovery. Thank you for sharing your story, Ed.
Ed married Linda when her son was 2 years old. Life was good, and before they knew it, Sean was in middle school. Around the age of 12-13 years old, Sean had ADD and became obstinate, defiant and aggressive. Over time they found he had been using pot and hallucinogens. As time went on, changes in friends, lying, car wrecks, and other escalating behaviors let life spiral out of control.
The trouble deepened as they feared for themselves when he became physical with Ed and destructive in their home. At the same time, Ed felt he was losing his sanity. A trip to the hospital for seizures and time in jail convinced his son to go to rehab at 18 years old and remain clean for 6 years. Although things improved and they attended the family program and tried meetings at the treatment center, they were not getting what they needed to grow in their recovery.
Ed’s mind was spinning from the insanity of all that had happened, but he had reached a turning point. This insanity brought him to his knees asking for help. He immediately felt a warmth, a gold brightness, and his mind cleared. Although he had been away from the church of his childhood for many years, he knew he needed to go. Returning to church helped Ed find his grounding.
Having grown up in an alcoholic home and both he and his wife having left codependent first marriages, the return to their faith life helped them to willingly deal with the addiction in their immediate family. With his son in recovery and Ed back at church for 2 years, he knew his needs and the needs of others for support and understanding was crucial. He started a Nar-Anon group at church with the blessing of the pastor. That was over 10 years ago. The meeting just recently added a second night each week.
Life for his son has changed. After 6 years of sobriety and almost completing college, he had a frightening and life-changing relapse with heroin. He had lost everything. Ed was able to deal with this without being drawn into the insanity this time due to his long-term connection to meetings and his faith. A year after the relapse, his son regained sobriety and remains clean today. He is enjoying the job of his dreams as a chef.
Ed is a dentist by profession. He sold his practice sooner than he might have thought during the craziness. He then went to work for the health department as the dentist for the local county jail until his retirement. He was inspired to help others with their suffering. His faith life has continued to grow. Over the last several years he has been studying and was ordained a deacon in the Catholic Church this spring. His retirement is anything but dull, and he continues to serve daily.
Ed’s message to others is to keep an open mind, be involved, and learn to set boundries. We don’t have all the answers, so listen. Listen so you can hear the right story at the right time. But I also say, follow his lead. Be there for others in their time of need.