Full-time Junkie

 

It started with drinks before a night out, and it ended in a very small bathroom with a needle in my arm.  Along the way many good friends said goodbye because they offered help and I refused it.  I fell out of the usual circle of family birthdays and holidays.  I promised attendance and didn’t show.  I lost my job and became a full-time junkie.  I traded sex for money in order to get a fix.  My life became very small and very scary, and I just let it happen.

Homeless and out of money, one day I was offered help and I said yes.  The moment I accepted help my world changed. There were challenges.  I had to get honest.  I had to be careful about falling into familiar patterns.  But the truth is the challenges in recovery are easier than anything I had to do when I was out there.

I am the man I want to be today. I have real relationships with people.  I have the respect of people whom I respect, something I had lost.  I have joined my family again.  This is how I stay sober:  I don't use drugs or alcohol, I have a program, I talk to sober people every day, I tell the truth and I try to show up for others.

- Raja, 20