"Those minutes became hours, which became days, weeks, months, and now, two years one month and 20 days later, I’m clean and sober."
My addiction started when I was 16. Pain pills and alcohol were my drugs of choice. My disease progressed, but I was not alone. By the time I was in my mid 20’s, my brother and I were both into heroin.
By 25, I was injecting massive amounts of heroin, or any other drug I could find. I would also drink myself into complete darkness. Over 20 arrests and three DUIs were not enough to stop me.
Even when my brother, who was my best friend, died from a heroin overdose, that was still not enough to stop me. When he died, my addiction got even worse. I lost all trust from my friends and family, I had no ambitions in life.
This is why I am sharing my story. My addiction steepened for about three more years. Finally, I started to think that “I deserved better,” I tried to seek help from many places. I hit an emotional and spiritual rock bottom when I overdosed while living in a recovery house in Philadelphia. I was dead inside. I moved back to Allentown and took life minute by minute. I worked hard at a 12 Step Program and let myself receive help by the others in recovery. Those minutes became hours, which became days, weeks, months, and now, two years one month and 20 days later, I’m clean and sober. I have a sense of self-worth and work daily to better myself. I am truly grateful for the beautiful life I live today.
