My whole life, I only wanted to leave this world better than the way I found it, which was hard because I was born into pretty amazing circumstances. My parents were loving and caring people who made plenty of money and doted on me and my brother. I got a glimpse at the lives of less fortunate people early on in life, and decided when I was very young, that I wanted to do anything I could to help them. You’d be surprised (or maybe you wouldn’t) how quickly these sentiments can go out the window when addiction is involved.
I started taking pills after I hurt my back from falling off of a ladder. It was an eight-foot drop and I was messed up pretty good. My physician gave me a prescription for Vicodin and within a week, I felt like I was back to my old self. Pretty soon, however, I started to crave these pills more and more as addicts tend to do. After a little while, it became a recurring struggle of trying to evade withdrawal and eventually, I was hooked. At this point, I began to stopping caring about anyone but myself and for a while, it only got worse.
It was amazing how quickly my body began to depend on these pills. I could get through the day without taking at least two. Despite all this, I still didn’t think that I needed treatment. I wanted to try and get my life back on my own terms. I spent about a year denial until my behavior made it impossible to ignore any longer. My girlfriend pleaded with me to stop taking these pills and get treatment—it was ultimately her who helped me get into my luxury drug rehab program and begin the healing process. To this day, I owe her everything.
I was very lucky to have the kind of treatment that I did; a team of doctors, nurses and therapist who refused to give up on me, particularly early on when I didn’t think I was going to make it through withdrawal. They helped me through some of the worst pain and illness that I’ve ever experienced. I was taken care of by people who knew what they were doing and wanted to see me get well. They’ve also been really great since in helping me to avoid relapse. I couldn’t have asked for a better treatment facility.
The moral of the story is that addiction can affect anyone, particularly with how freely doctors are passing around prescription painkillers these days. Thankfully I was able to get back to living the life I wanted and help people however I can. I find that my experience has enabled me to help even more people now, because I can offer first-hand knowledge and guidance as an addiction counselor. I still believe that it’s important to leave your mark in life and leave the world better than you found; thankfully, I once again have that opportunity.
