Russell Beebe is Clinical Director at Green Mountain Treatment Center, one of our residential drug rehab centers. Today, he helps clients sort through their substance use disorders and get well in sobriety, but he wasn’t always on the healthy side of recovery. Here he shares his story:
Russell Beebe: I always felt, at varying degrees, an inner discomfort in my life, whether it was fear or resentment. I always kind of felt uneasy in my own skin, awkward. Middle school was a terrible time for me. It is for most people, but I just did not get through that very well. As soon as alcohol and drugs came along, all that went away. I got sober in 2009 and my son, who is now 10, was born in April of 2008. So as you can imagine, when he was first born and was an infant, I was not doing very well, to say the least. There was a period of time when I was in his life, but I was in treatment, so I wasn’t around. I had to live in a sober house, before I could come back and be a good dad.
Being Comfortable in My Own Skin
What recovery has done for me is allowed me to not just be sober, but to be comfortable in my own skin. It also allows me to walk through the times when I feel uncomfortable, and know that it’s not going to last forever. When I get uncomfortable now, I know that it’s going to pass at some point.
Owning Inner Peace
Now, I feel like I have a certain degree of inner peace. I always knew that that was possible, and always wanted that in my life, but I was never able to achieve that before treatment. Now I have that. I show up to work every day. Now, when I get upset, I might even yell at my kids, I know I need to make that right. I tell them, “It wasn’t you; I just got upset and I’m sorry I said that,”. My hope is that they’ll grow up having some of those qualities. I’m really, really grateful to be in my children’s life. They’re absolutely blessings in my life and it’s been amazing watching them grow; something I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to experience if I hadn’t sought recovery.
Watch the full video:If you or a loved one is struggling with a drug addiction, please call (855) 712-7784. We can help.
