ANDREW'S STORY

by: Andrew R.
Entry Date: June 2009

Since the last entry...
Last May I had an accident which left me with a brain injury. I was prescribed pain medication which I ended up abusing. That was last May 2008. I am happy to report that things are not like that today. My Fiancée and I are still together and working through this tough time as a team. I am so grateful that I leaned on a 12 step program for support, because the people in that program are what saved me. The moment I took one pill last year I changed. Today that is not the case. I am fully involved with my 12 step program and the people involved in it. I realized since my accident that I need to surround myself with positive, like minded people, who understand what I’m going through and care about the decisions I make. Do I regret what happened last may when I slipped? I don’t know, because I have grown so much since then. I realize today that I need to be a part of something. I cannot sit around all day listening to the negative thoughts in my head. I have no control over the thoughts, but I can control what I do about them. I choose to have fun. Hang out with the guys in my meetings; do fun things with my Fiancée that she enjoys doing, having a relationship with my family. Taking care of myself and the amazing new apartment I live in. My life was so unmanageable before I had my accident and after for a while too. That unmanageability is what lead to my slip. I just need to do the next right thing that is in front of me. Slips happen if you are not doing what needs to be done. I am a drug addict and I can never forget that. I need to constantly keep myself accountable of my actions. I need to take care of myself everyday, and the people around me. I need to be 100 % honest in everything I do. I need to do these things so I don’t end up where I was last May or even worse where I was three years ago. I know today that I am doing the do things, cause the people around me, actually want to be around me today and most importantly I am happy with myself today. I am so grateful for my life and the people in it! What a great feeling.

Entry Date: November 2008

Since the video...
Since the video my life has changed drastically. I am still engaged and that relationship had grown stronger with out struggles. We finally moved out of my Aunts home, and out on our own. I am off parole now and moving forward. I became very involved in a 12 step program and saw my life change for the better. I was taking care of myself, for once in my life and things were finally starting to look up. I had an accident May 2008 and that changed everything for me, yet again. I hit my head in a freak accident and was put on prescription pills to manage the pain. The moment I took that one pill, I changed immediately. My fiancé noticed the change in me long before I did and I went from taking the prescribed amount of pills, to numbing the pain with as many as I could. I am so grateful for the support of my fiancé and my 12 step group. They all saw the change in me and were worried. A few guys from the program came over and set me straight, I was so pissed off in the beginning but now looking back, I see that they were saving me from a path of self destruction. I am back on track now with my program, but this experience showed me that I can never run away from my addiction. It does not matter what form drugs come in for me, alcohol, prescription, powder, liquid it all leads me down the same path. Since the video I see how prominent recovery is in my life. I can never forget who I am, and what illness I have. My head injury has put many obstacles in front of me; even now I need help with everyday tasks. I am not able work at the moment and I feel very inadequate at times. My fiancé keeps on assuring me that I am progressing, and this will all pass one day but some days that’s hard to see. Being as vulnerable as I am now, I have to keep moving forward with my program and life. I have to look at the things I can control in the moment not the little things I can’t. I am so grateful to have the people around me that I have.

Andrew's Story	Jessica's Story	Mandeline's Story	Nick's Story	Tara's Story	Vanessa's Story