An anonymous passage about an ex-client sharing his insights on some early struggles within the recovery process…

In my experience sobriety has been a great blessing. I was addicted to drugs and alcohol for 7 years of my life and didn’t know anything else. Due to my addiction I lost almost everything I owned because I sold it for drugs. I also lost my family and I was lost in general. When this happened I tried to commit suicide because at that point I believed there was no way to get back my old life and it was all over for me. When that didn’t work I turned to a 12 step program called AA.

In this program I learned many things about myself and that I was a very selfish person. When I got through the 12 steps it was expected of me to pay it forward by sponsoring others and taking them through the steps. Since then I have sponsored about 12 guys and none are still sober. This is a very accurate success rate to people getting sober. It is like 1%. So since I have been sober my life has gotten significantly better. I got a job, a girlfriend, my family back, my life and my confidence. I have lots of good friends that would do anything for me and life is good. In the past couple months I had fallen off of my program. I wasn’t sponsoring any guys, I wasn’t going to many meeting and some bad things happened at the same time. This would have been an opportune time to relapse, but I am better and stronger than ruining my life all over again. I was in a slump because I was not working a program. I called my sponsor and got rolling again. I am now sponsoring, being of service and going to more meetings. It is all due to getting out of self and enjoying what you have.

"After thirty-six years in recovery and twenty years in addiction treatment, I am now solely focused on providing personal, 1-on-1 recovery management services to those in need. When I most needed it someone reached out and took my hand and help save my life. Ever since I have dedicated myself to returning that kindness. When I was in dire straits many years ago with an addiction to drugs and alcohol, all I wanted to do was STOP! With the support of skilled clinicians and generous men and women in the recovery community I was not only able to stop, but discovered that I was becoming a better man, a better husband, better father, better colleague, better neighbor, and a better human being. I also found that the key to my happiness is found in service to others. I have dedicated my life to this task and have been gifted with the opportunity to direct others to the discovery of that better life."

- Stuart Birnbaum, Founder