- Drugs
My name is Sean C. I grew up in Brooklyn, NY, San Francisco, CA, and Las Vegas, NV. Addiction has been in at least 24 of the 33 years of my life. I grew up around a lower rung of society, was economically challenged and had drug-addicted parents. Drugs were a way to have fun, escape the pain and increase my finances so I could have a taste of what others cherish so much. I risked imprisonment, but something didn’t allow that to happen. I faced a couple close encounters with death, and experienced the loss of everything over time. My mind was like an animal, and it was willing to cause great pain to continue my addiction.
I finally ended up in a homeless shelter, and thanks to the understanding of various staff members, just a few years later I am on an amazing road to recovery. I will be the first person in my family to go to college, and I am doing so with a scholarship. I volunteer and am an advocate on several boards in my amazing county. When I leave my current sober living home, I will have 18 months clean, 17 months no cigarettes and a vast sober network of friends from various backgrounds.
My advice is to take this new life as seriously as the old life. Live, learn and always stay humble and connected to all this world has to offer.