- Drugs
- Friends & Family
My name is Max, and as of November 7, 2015, I have 8 months and 6 days of sobriety. I started using drugs very early at the age of eleven. By the age of thirteen, I was using IV opiates and painkillers. I started my inpatient treatment programs at the age of fourteen. At that time it was just about appeasing my parents and the legal system. My patterns of abuse continued. For the last four years, I switched to using IV methamphetamine to get high. That was when things really starting spiraling down. Prior to that I was what you could call a functioning addict. I was able to go to school and maintain my grades, but when I started using meth, it all fell apart. I lost jobs and cars, and I ended up homeless. My children were taken away, and I lost my wife. In March of 2015, I got arrested and was looking at an eight-year sentence. I knew I was defeated. I was ready to sign the agreement, and I asked the district attorney to please get me some help for my addiction. They gave me a chance to go through the drug court program. I know there is a lot of stigma associated with drug court programs, but the drug court program held me accountable for my actions, and I needed that.
Currently I am living in a halfway house. It is a very good, positive environment for sobriety. I am diving head first into recovery. All of my friends are in active recovery. My typical day now involves going to work, hitting a meeting after work, hanging out with sober friends, working out and hitting a late-night meeting. Every day I make it to at least two meetings. Every day I live to enjoy life and find hope. I had lost the joy of life due to addiction. I could not even imagine a life without using. Today I am thankful that I can get out, have fun and remember having fun and do it all by being clean and sober.