I am often asked to share my experience, strength and hope to the newcomer. Of course, my story is filled with what most addicts and alcoholics face in their downward spiral; jails, and institutions. I also faced death in 2006 as I was admitted into intensive care in a coma. My body could not expel the massive amounts of opiates I continued to ingest. After a 2 month hospitalization and several months of rehabilitation, I returned to using the mood-altering substances that placed me into a coma. The very definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
My bottom was reached in a jail cell in Waco, Texas as I watched two women almost beat each other to death over a bag of chips that had been obtained from a commissary order. It was my moment of incomprehensible demoralization that set me on the road to recovery. On October 12th, 2017, I will celebrate my eighth year of recovery. It took three admissions to residential treatment centers, two sponsors, a supportive family, the program and fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous, and a willingness I never believed I had. What I remember most about my journey are the case managers and therapists that so willingly believed in me when I could not believe in myself. I now have an entirely different life, instead of taking, I give what was so freely given to me by the therapist that I now aspire to be.
I am a licensed chemical dependency intern for a residential treatment center for men and women seeking help for addiction and alcoholism. My role is one of a case manager and it is a role that defines me and gives my life meaning. I exhibit unconditional positive regard for my clients and work tirelessly to help them in overcoming their barriers in order to find a life free and clear from substance abuse and alcoholism. At one point I looked death in the face, and now I’m on the other side of broken and strive to help others do the same. I will spend my life devoted to the addict and alcoholic that is still out there suffering today, that maybe they too can fulfill their purpose in this lifetime.