"Everyday gets better. If you put in the work, it’s worth it in recovery."
I come from a family of people with addiction. My dad has been a recovering alcoholic for 25 years. My step mother, Lynn, overdosed on narcotics in 2010. A sibling has been clean from heroin for 9 months. I’m 39, and from 2007 to June 2017 I was addicted to Vicodin/Norco. Through serious changes to my emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing, I have been sober/clean from opioids since June 1st, 2017. I also owe credit to a spiritual 12-step program I’m working, self-help books, and family Nar-Anon meetings.
I started taking Vicodin in 2007 on a short term basis for a very serious ankle injury, but before I knew it, years had passed. My family doctor prescribed me 120 pills at a time. Like the old saying goes: You don’t know what you don’t know. Instead of proper pain management through non-narcotics or changes to my body through diet or exercise, my doctor kept prescribing Vicodin. Finally, one day in May, I just hit rock bottom and decided I needed a total life change. The pills weren’t even working for the pain (I had fractured my ankle in 2007 and it never properly healed).
This is why I am sharing my story. I was in legitimate pain but at the same time was just feeding my addiction. I realized I was physically and emotionally dependent on them. When I look back, I realize how much of a mess I was. Friendships and relationships had been broken. I became a person I didn’t like. I was just running in circles. I am so glad to be in recovery now. Everyday gets better. If you put in the work, it’s worth it in recovery.
