An addiction to substances can ramp up very quickly, if you’re susceptible to it, and many of us are. Like most, one of our own Granite Recovery Centers’ alumni, Matt, started experimenting with drugs and alcohol in high school. He was popular, did well in school. Next thing he knew, he was an opioid addict. Here, Matt tells us his story from normal kid to someone he didn’t recognize, and back again.
In the beginning…
I had a ton of friends. I was a popular kid in high school. I started drinking and smoking weed. After that, I went to college in New Hampshire. And, that’s where I started – that’s where the downfall started.
My roommate gave me a free one and I fell in love with it
My roommate at the time was selling opiates and painkillers, and gave me a free one and I fell in love with it. That was the feeling that I was looking for. I had wanted that feeling forever.
And I chased that feeling for a long time…
And then the fallout…
My parents didn’t really know who I was anymore. My dad was disgusted with me; my mom didn’t want to have anything to do with me. My mom worked for the city, and she was embarrassed. Embarrassed to come out and say that her son was a drug addict. They kept it hidden for years. I would rob and steal from anybody that I possibly could. I just wasn’t myself anymore.
Getting help… and a new way of life
When I went to Green Mountain, there was was actual work that I had to do. When I went to these other treatment facilities, I was handed worksheets and taught to stay away from certain people and places. But when I went to Green Mountain, it was a new way of life.
It doesn’t just work for drug addicts; it’s a program to make people better.
When you actually put the work in, you will see results. I promise you that. It’s unbelievable. Because I don’t think about getting high anymore.
It’s crazy now, being on the other side…
My life today is amazing. I have an unbelievable relationship with my mom and dad. My dad’s my best friend. We talk on the phone every day. I speak at family meetings. I go there and I speak to them and I tell them my story and what I went through. And it’s crazy sitting on the other side now and seeing it from a parent’s point of view, because I always thought that my parents didn’t know what I was going through. But they felt every…single…step of it, the whole way.
I work a Monday through Friday job. I’m very happy. I install garage doors. I have a wonderful girlfriend who I love more than anything, who’s very supportive of me. And I’ve got good friends in my life now. And, I wouldn’t trade anything that I’ve ever went through for anything. I’m glad I went through this.
Watch Matt’s full story:
Come join us on the other side of your addiction and get well. Give our admission specialists a call at (855) 712-7784.
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