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Submitted by: Susanne Johnson
Since 2008, Eric has been in long-term recovery. This has been seven years of a different life than the life he used to have. He started drinking and smoking marijuana at age twelve and it was followed by prescription medication at age thirteen. Taking pills like Percocet and oxycontin brought him to a severe opiate addiction.
He was 20 when he got sober. He still has never had a legal drink in his life. Eric is originally from Minneapolis and went first to a wilderness treatment program in Montana for 60 days. He was sent straight from there to a halfway house for young men in Gonzalez, near Baton Rouge. After he spent time there as a client, he started working at the facility and is now a case manager and counselor at the same center. The program he works with lasts six to nine months, where young men go to meetings, get counseling, get a job and learn to live in recovery.
His turning point was marked by a lot of legal issues. He was arrested many times. Almost a year in a juvenile lockdown center was followed by weeks or weekends in and out of jail. Homelessness, jail or death were basically the alternatives he had if he refused treatment.
His family only supported him as far as going to treatment. Somewhere during his time at the halfway house and going to a lot of meetings it started to click in his head and all of a sudden he wanted to get sober. “The spiritual awakening and change, I had that,” Bret mentions. He got very involved in the recovery community. There are a lot of meetings in and around Baton Rouge, he says, and there are a lot of opportunities for service and a good time. “I have never been happier in my life. I love being sober,” Eric adds.
After leaving the facility as a client, he moved with some other clients together in a house as roommates and they continued the sober living and mutual support. Today he just got married and loves the way his life turned out. He was able to restore the relationship with his family as well. Most amends he had to do were “living amends” and it took a while, but it worked out well. His family is coming to Baton Rouge to spend Christmas with him and his wife. He would like to have children in a couple years and continue a life in sobriety and happiness.
He occasionally struggles with taking life on life’s terms taking one day at a time, but he has a home group, meets with his sponsor regularly and does the things he needs to do. Eric says, “As long as I stay with my meetings, my sponsor, my prayer and my meditation, I can go through anything sober. Life still happens, even if you are sober. Just now we have the tools to deal with it all.” Eric also loves to be healthy and active. He plays basketball, enjoys beautiful days on the golf course, he hunts and loves to waterski and wakeboard. Today he can do these things in recovery. “That’s what recovery is all about. Enjoy Life.”