When you’ve lived life through the throes of addiction, the stories of recovery from those around you contribute greatly to you figuring out your own story. These stories can lift you up and inspire you but also they can force you to learn lessons you never knew you needed to learn. Whether you laugh or cry, these stories are about connection – which is a vital component to any person’s recovery. This month’s addiction recovery story comes from TDH alumni, Joey. We hope his experience inspires you.
A Substance-free Childhood
I was actually born in a small town in Ohio called Perrysburg. I had a very good upbringing as a child. Very good parents. Very good family structure. There was no abuse. There was no drugs or alcohol introduced into the household at all. It wasn’t until I moved to Las Vegas when I was eleven years old, that I actually started using drugs.
It got progressively worse when I got into middle school. I wanted to fit in a lot of times and I started using other drugs. I started taking a lot more pills, I started getting in a lot more trouble, not with the school, but also with law enforcement at this time as a juvenile. That was around the first time I got kicked out of middle school for sniffing pills in class.
I started having very, very serious school problems and legal problems. I couldn’t graduate. Then I got caught stealing for my drugs at stores. I got arrested as a juvenile and had to go to a six-month drug boys’ rehome program. After that, I pretty much went to this program, I was clean the whole time right when I got out. My brother was using drugs too, so I just hit the ground running again, me and him started getting high again.
Reaching Out for Help with Drug Addiction
It got progressively worse again. My parents tried to get me in a treatment center out in Las Vegas, but just because I was always around the same people and around the same environment, I couldn’t stay clean. It was hard for me to stay clean in my old neighborhood with all of my old friends. That’s when I got caught doing a lot more serious crimes, as I got caught robbing houses now because I was trying to support my drug addiction.
After that, when I was robbing houses, I got caught for it and I actually had to go to prison. I went to prison for three and a half years, from 18 to almost 22. I saw how good my brother was doing because he got clean before I did. I saw that he was enjoying life and I wanted what he had. With the influence of my family and him telling me how good it was, at the Discovery House and always going on. That was my initial start to actually come to the place and actually give it a tryout.
Grasping Recovery and Holding On Tight
The biggest thing I love is how they used to take you guys out places so it’s not like you’re cooped up in this small place. It’s a very luxurious, lavish place, this rehab. They would actually take you to parks to actually do groups. They would take you to other places like the beach on a Tuesday or something to have a day out. Or, they would take you to a museum so you could actually learn some things. But, the biggest thing for me, was the outings and how they would treat you and be like, hey instead of us doing a group in this room, we’re all going to go to a park and we’re all going to talk about some stuff, get some chairs and do that. That was one of the best points for me.
I just would like to say how beneficial TDH has been for me. You guys helped save my life. You guys showed me how to live a life without using drugs and alcohol and you showed me that there’s another way. I could never be internally more grateful for what this place has done for me. This place has brought me closer to my family, it’s brought me closer to everyone that I was very distant from for a long time. It’s just taught me how to live a new life and I’ll always, forever be very, very grateful to this place.
Start Writing Your Stories of Recovery
If someone you love is struggling with a substance abuse problem, call us today at (855) 203-7930 and the treatment specialists at The Discovery House will help you to begin your path to long-term recovery.