I was introduced to drugs and alcohol my freshmen year of high school. I had surgery to get my teeth fixed and the doctor prescribed me strong pain meds for after. This was the first time I ever got "high". If only I'd known that one little pill would lead me down a path of addiction for the next eight years. Over this time I struggled to keep employment and lost a lot of friends and family. I became someone I didn't even recognize. I got sober a few times but it never seemed to stick. I even went to rehab for a thirty-day program. For some reason I just couldn't find the will to get clean and stay clean.
After eight long years of addiction, I finally found sobriety at the age of twenty-three. I think I just got to the point where I didn't want to suffer and be in pain anymore. I finally wanted to be sober more than I did "high". Was it easy at first? Absolutely not but I knew I would work as hard as necessary. June will make three years clean. Getting clean was the best thing I have ever done and it allowed me to enjoy life again. I have been able to do things that I am passionate about like travel, shop, spend time with friends and family, etc.
Three years may seem like a long time when it comes to being sober but it's pretty small compared to the rest of your life. I look toward a future where I am still sober and living a life full of meaning and love. I aim to encourage others to get clean through sharing my own story. I want to be able to look back on all the pain and it not feel so fresh anymore. I see myself 13 years sober and then 23 years sober and so on. I will be the person I fought so hard to be and not even one little pill could take any of that away from me.
romaincrisis