Find it Within Yourself

Submitted by: Marta Mrotek

How did you hear about Heroes in Recovery?

I’m a member of Team RWB which is a veterans and civilian organization which promotes physical activity. They have a volunteer page on Facebook where they promoted the Heroes 6K in Gilbert, AZ. I think they had a booth at the Heroes 6K and I wanted to participate and actually run.

Where did your journey begin?

I was an alcoholic and addicted to prescription medication. Ultimately, I was deep in that addiction and woke up one day feeling suicidal and it terrified me. That’s when I knew I needed help. I went to my family and they helped get me checked into a hospital and then I went to an addiction treatment center here in Phoenix. I graduated from that program and went through IOP and PHP and I have maintained my sobriety date of October 1, 2015.

How is your life different now?

I met a guy in the program who’s my roommate now and that’s been a good thing for me. We go to a lot of meetings. I have two home groups. It’s important for me to stay involved with 12-step programs.

Because of that, so much is different today. There was so much self pity and isolation. I mean, I hated myself– I was so depressed and anxious. Every day was a struggle and now I wake up and feel great about myself. I’m physically healthy and mentally I’ve learned coping skills that help me stay sober even when life throws me a curve ball. I know that I’ve become more spiritually powerful. I’ve gotten so much closer to my Higher Power and that’s helped me a lot.

I recently started an apparel line called XSH Apparel. That stands for Experience Strength and Hope and is a common phrase you hear in recovery circles. I take a portion of all profits and send it back to that community to show my support. This is clothing geared for people in recovery and people who want to show their support. I’m trying to reduce the stigma a little bit.

I found that people had negative viewpoints about recovery and once I would have the chance to talk to them about it they would change their minds. I think it’s because people are uneducated and don’t really know much about it. But whether it’s someone in their direct family or close circle, almost everyone knows someone affected by drugs and alcohol. There are a lot of people who need help and don’t know where to go to get it or who to ask.

Like Heroes in Recovery, I feel like if we put it out there, if we talk about it and we’re not ashamed to have the conversations it will help the people who are still out there struggling.

Do you have any advice or inspiration that you’d like to share?

Find it within yourself to heal and to seek treatment. People might look negatively at it, but once you do it you’ll find that you’re very proud of it. I love talking about it, sharing my story and helping other people.   Just do it.

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