Matt

Topics: Substance Abuse

"I took my first drink my sophomore year in high school. My friends and I got our hands on a bunch of beer and I thought it tasted awful. Then I was introduced to drugs. After years of lying to my family about my drug use, I was giving up on life. I quit my job voluntarily, was about to jeopardize my marriage, and dumped all my garbage on family and friends. I had become toxic to be around. I pushed my dad away, not trusting him to love me for who I really was, so not being myself around him. This made me feel guilty, then ashamed. While using drugs and alcohol I pushed people away from me and then accused them of abandoning me.

When I wanted help I found a 12 step program online and went to a meeting. Where I went for help was www.aaphoenix.org. It has lists of meetings for all over the valley and it indicates which meetings are for young people. I wondered, how could I ever have fun if I was sober? But I knew I would be miserable and unhappy if I kept living my druggie lifestyle. It wasn’t fun anymore. I got a sponsor, a home group where I’ve made lots of friends, and found a higher power of my own understanding. Then I went through all 12 steps. I also started to study meditation and simply try to be a good person!

What helps me on a daily basis is asking my higher power to direct my thinking every morning. I call another addict/alcoholic, I meditate, I find a meeting, I review my actions in the morning and afternoon to make sure I have been a good guy, and I look for others to help. I review the rest of my day at night and give thanks to my higher power. As a result of getting sober and taking action, I went from an unhappy, lonely, depressed person stuck in self-pity to a man brimming over with self confidence, and a love for others and life itself."