I never had a problem with drinking. That’s what I remember. I liked to hang out with my friends on the weekends, have a few drinks, and just enjoy life. But it just took one day, one experiment, to change my life.

I was hanging out with some friends; and they brought out a crack pipe. I tried it and I just never stopped. Within a month, I was hooked on crack. I lost my job, because I was missing days to stay at home and smoke. I lost my apartment because I spent any money I could get on drugs instead of necessities. I never looked at myself and my life at the time: I just moved from one placed to another trying to find a way to get high.

I was living in a tent in the woods, and at the time it didn’t occur to me that something had gone terribly wrong. Until I got word that my dad was in the hospital. I wanted to see him. I hadn’t seen him or my family for months. When I got to the hospital, I ran into my sister, and she said to me, “Where have you been?” And that’s when I felt the weight of my life. I said to my sister, “Take me right now to get help. I need help.”

I ended up at Rebound, finished the recovery program, and have moved on with my life. I am now helping people who are burdened with the weight of their addictions. Just as I once was. When these people come to me and say, “I need help,” I can honestly answer, “I understand.” I can also honestly tell them, “You can find a way out.”

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