I went to the house, and he started talking, and everything he was talking about, I was like, that’s me – he knows what I’m going through. A guy there recommended I go to someone’s house that was having a Big Book study. “I went into rehab for about 10 days, and I just kept thinking to myself, ‘I’ll do anything, please God, I do not want to drink ever again.’ “I was able to stay sober for 9 months – meetings every day, praying every day, really in the middle of the program. I’m spiritually broken – I can’t do this anymore.’ “I showed up at my dad’s house with two gym bags. Eventually he decided to ask for help from his father, who had 28 years sobriety. I lost a really nice house, my car was repoed, and my 401k was gone.”Įven though Patrick had hit bottom after bottom, he was unable to stay sober. I would go to meetings and nothing would happen, I would still want to drink. “I was in and out of Alcoholics Anonymous, that was constant. It would take me 10 years to get more than 30 days sober.” At 35, my wife and I went through a divorce – and a lot of stuff happened. During that period of time I had 11 years’ sobriety. I had 6 or 7 months sober, maybe even a little bit longer. My first rehab was at 17, got kicked out of it after 10 days, then back in there 3 months later. “I got in a fight with a cop at 16 years old. And like many types of progress, his improvement did not always happen in a straight line. His substance use began when he was a teenager. Patrick’s road to recovery has been long and difficult, but in the end, rewarding. For me, I could be driving down the road, completely sane, thinking, ‘Oh I’ll just stop for a couple beers.’ And it could end up ruining my life.” Then there’s the type that happens but doesn’t have that feeling behind it. Some obsessions are just unwanted, repetitive thoughts – they feel like a really intense craving. “There’s a couple different ways that obsession happens. “I would say to anyone who thinks they have a problem: There is hope. I don’t really know what else I would do if I didn’t work in the recovery field, my sponsee calls me every day at 4:34pm, and I have a group of women in recovery who I know are always going to love me, who will always be there for me. “Now, I’m going to college to get my associate’s degree in social work. They supported me through my entire journey. One of the things that breaks my heart is that I was not always there for my family as much as I feel I should have been. To Gina having a a strong support system was crucial, most noteworthy was her family. I started going to meetings and hanging out with girls who lived in the recovery house.” I need you to fight hard for you.’ She sent me through detox. But my social worker told me, ‘We’re going to fight really hard for you. “I had a social worker who really fought for me. I’m dying and I need you to help me.’ And they did. But that time, I walked into the crisis center, and it was the first time I finally said, ‘I don’t have a home and I haven’t had one in four years. “I had been to 11 rehabs before that day. It was like my head and my heart were both suddenly on the same exact page, and I thought, “What are you doing? This isn’t good. “I was hanging out in Kensington in the freezing cold, and I suddenly had a moment of sanity. Like too many people, substance use disorder had taken over Gina’s life – that is, until one day when she found the inner strength to ask for help. It’s the only disease that convinces you that you don’t have a disease. “In addiction, you live in the past of what it was like when you were a kid, standing on the corner drinking 40s or hanging out in the bar. I told my mom I was going to die from this disease, that it was my destiny. “In 2005, I was out getting high and fell 20 feet and broke my back and my wrist, but I stayed out. Without hearing her story, you would never understand the trials and tribulations she endured to make it to where she is today. Gina is an outgoing person, hence, her soul that shines through her eyes. I started doing heroin and continued using until I was 33.” “I was in active addiction since I was 13. Read about their journeys, and learn how drug abuse treatment has played different but essential roles in their lives. We sat down to hear from four courageous people: all who have been caught in the grips of addiction and all who continue to live in recovery, helping and inspiring others along the way. But there’s a deeper, human element in each story that is too often untold. A Look into the Lives of Those Who Sought Drug Abuse Treatmentīehind substance use disorder is people – people with real stories of struggle and triumph.ĭrug and alcohol addiction stories are usually shadowed by short, faceless segments on the news.
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