Michael: Heartbreak and Hope
I had the good fortune to visit with a recent graduate of Rocky Mountain Treatment Center. His story is inspirational and I would like to share it with you.
Michael has lived his life as an addict. 15 years ago, he was attending AA because he was court ordered to do so. He described himself as a “slip-signer.” He went to meetings to comply with the court’s requirement so he could get the heat off and get on with his life. In this process, he worked the program and had a year and a half of sobriety. When I asked Michael what happened, he stated that when he no longer had outside accountability, he lost his discipline. He went to fewer meetings. He quit doing what he needed to do to stay well. In the course of the next 14 years, he would become extremely ill.
During that time, Michael found it difficult to maintain life stability. He would use anything that he could get his hands on. He eventually did things that he never thought he would do. He even went as far as to take prescription medications from a loved one, which he swore to himself he would never do. It still grieves him terribly. He lost all sense of right and wrong. Life lost all meaning and he became suicidal.
He finally found his bottom.
Michael went through Rocky Mountain Treatment Center in December 2017 and he has been clean and sober for the past six months. He is currently living in a sober living, attends meetings almost everyday, works with a sponsor, does service work and generally stays engaged in recovery. The man I met was a very happy and grateful man. I asked Michael if he could share a message with anyone out there still suffering in addiction, what would it be? This is what he shared:
“There is so much hope for people like me. Without a doubt, everybody has been where you are, that dark hole. It’s hard, but don’t think that you are too far gone. You deserve it; it can happen. I am living proof.”
This is only one example of incredible miracles that come out of the process of inpatient treatment. Way to go, Michael!
Thank you
Jim
James A. Francetich is a freelance writer and author. The opinions expressed are solely of the author and do not represent any community based recovery programs, private or public entities or any governmental agencies.