- Alcohol
- Drugs
I have been in recovery since November 27, 2009. I hope my story of struggle turned into recovery can help someone in need. From the time I was a little boy, I was around drugs and alcohol. I grew up with a father who was into drugs and alcohol. I can remember drinking beer from the time I was a little boy. I had no idea what that would lead to as I got older.
When my parents divorced, I was around the age of seven, and my father was never really a part of my life after that point. We moved to an apartment complex where my mother worked long hours to provide for my brother and me. I was looked after by many of the adults who lived in the apartments while my mother was at work. During that time I found myself running around with people who didn’t have my best interests in mind. I began using drugs and alcohol on an almost daily basis. I had never heard about addiction so I didn’t realize what this would turn into.
At the age of eight, I experienced a major event that will affect me for the rest of my life. One of the guys in the apartment complex decided he was going to sexually abuse me. After this happened I shared it with my mother who told the police. After gathering all the information about the event, the police pretty much believed him instead of me. This took away all the trust I had in almost everyone. From that moment on, my life began to spiral out of control. The alcohol and drug use continued for many years to come. It began to come before the sports I loved to play and played at a high level. I was throwing away what I had worked so hard to build. I truly believe if not for the drugs and alcohol, I could have had something special in the sports I played.
As I got older and began to work, I found greater freedom to drink and use. I was not relying on people to give me money for what I wanted. What I didn’t see coming was that drinking and using would cause me to lose several jobs. It was then that I began doing things to make sure I got my high. I began to lie and steal from those closest to me. It seemed as though I had no feelings for anyone I hurt along the way. I think most of that stemmed from the abuse I suffered as a young boy. By this time my friends and family could see I had a problem with drinking. I put drinking above everything else in my life. I was drinking heavily on a daily basis and putting the important things last. I began to lose a lot of friends because of my drinking. I had turned into the person I so hated growing up: my father! I was stuck in a world of darkness and didn’t see a way out.
I decided to check myself into a treatment center to turn things around, but I don’t think I was quite ready to quit. After leaving the treatment center after a couple days, I was able to stay sober for only a few months. I thought I had the disease of alcoholism beat and could drink like everyone else around me. That was a big mistake! After a few more years of heavy drinking, I began to feel sick. I visited the emergency room a few times in a short amount of time. At one point a doctor took my blood to see what was making me so sick. When he came back, he informed me I had a virus that could be the reason I was sick, but he also said my liver was not doing well. For the next few days, I only drank enough beer to take away the shakes and hoped I would get better. A week went by, and I felt like a new man. My alcoholic mind told me that it was the virus that made me sick, and I never thought about my liver. The drinking picked up right where it left off before I went to the hospital. On November 26, 2009, I was picked up for driving while intoxicated. My blood alcohol level was .27. My family decided it was time to step in and try to save my life. After serving several days in jail, I walked out thinking I was going to go get drunk. However my family had other plans. I walked out of jail and into an intervention. One hour later I was on a plane heading to treatment. I spent a few months in treatment dealing with all the issues in my life. After spending a few months in treatment, I felt like a new man. For the first time in my life, I felt like I could live life clean and sober.
Since getting clean and sober, I enrolled in school and received a bachelor’s degree in addiction counseling, and I have also become an interventionist. Today I have my own intervention business and help others who suffered like me get into treatment. If I had the chance, I’m not sure I would change a thing because I feel like I gained a lot from my struggles. The struggles in my life help me relate to those I meet who struggle in their lives. I look forward to spending the rest of my life sharing my story and helping others who struggle with addiction. I want people to know my life is so much better now than it was while I was drinking and using. My advice to any family out there who has a loved one who might have a problem with drugs and alcohol is to get them help now. Give them the chance at a better life. We never know when our time on earth is up, so let’s make the most of it. Don’t live life wishing you did something to help. Make the choice to help now! I hope my story can help a family who is on the fence about getting help!
Thanks for reading.