Helping Others in Active Addiction
Steve
“My name is Steve and im a person in long-term recovery which means that I haven’t used drugs or any other mind or mood altering substance for more than 10 years. I was a cocaine and heroin addict for 27 yrs. I was the type of person that used to live, and lived to use. I’ve overdosed on drugs numerous of times and told myself that I wasn’t gonna do it again but, I guess u know the drill, I did the exact same thing all over again and again. Until one day a childhood friend and I were getting high and that particular day he overdosed and died. The following week at his funeral I was viewing the body before the ceremony started and I was standing in front of the casket and just like I’m talking to u guys, I heard a voice tell me that if I don’t stop doing what I’m doing I”ll be in that casket next. That is what it took for me to be scared-straight. At that point I asked my Higher Power to help me. See, where I come from if u don’t see a person on the street that you were getting high with anymore, they are either in one or two places: either dead or in the jail. Lo and behold, I didn’t know that a lot of people that I was getting high with weren’t dead, they were in NA recovering. Once I found that out, I tried NA and I’ve picked up one white chip and I vow not to pick up another one. I know I’m gonna die one day but I don’t have to in active addiction. I’m committed to recovery because it has allowed me to redesign myself, it has changed my life for the better, and I want to be a role model for others with similar experiences. Recovery has afforded me to have a wife, family, and a job doing HIV testing and prevention, and I’m also a Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist. Recovery has motivated me to let others know that they can pursue opportunities and transform their lives into one of better quality, and advocate for self-directed care.”