Chris's Recovery Story - From Prison to Sobriety!

My name is Chris, I'm a recovering heroin addict. My story starts with having a dream like most others do. I came from a great family, I played baseball when I was young. I did the normal kid stuff I started to get into trouble as a teen and got to many chances. My parents put me in the "scared straight" program when I was 16. I had inmates yelling in my face and it still didn't do nothing for me.

I've always been real hard headed. My dad bought me a guitar to maybe see if I would grow out of the getting in trouble faze, it didn't work. Until I met my best friend Marcel and we started a band. I would of never thought I would have bonded with someone as much as we did through music. We played around Las Vegas with our band members, my dad even refinanced his house to buy my band better equipment. We had all the best stuff but we started to go down hill and began to take pills to feel good at practice and shows.

Then in 2006 something happened. Over a simple fight, guns got pulled and me and my friends were shot at and a really great guy lost his life. (R.I.P Mike cook) From the stress of that and life my best friend committed suicide in 2007. I'll never forget pulling around the corner and seeing police cars and tape everywhere. I couldn't believe it. Then my path went blurry from there....

I headed deep into addiction. It finally caught up with me in 2010 for breaking into cars and from stealing from my family to feed my addiction. I was on my way to prison. Life in there is not the way to live. I did two years and got out but I still wasn't done. One week after being released I was back on heroin,then a year later I was on my way back to prison. While in prison one night I was in a cell by myself and I just broke down and cried for like 2 hours of all the disappointment, anger and loss I've been through. I knew I had to make a change or I was going to spend most of my life in prison or my parents would be burying me at a young age.

I finally just woke up one day and found out that I have so much more to live for and would of never even found my way if I didn't realize I was lost in the first place. I've never had more support and positivity in my life then I have gotten out of my sobriety. I have to remind myself sometimes when having a bad day to remember where I have been and that it could be a lot worse!!!

What I've become as a person, a son, a brother, uncle and a new man. I'm working with a women named DR. Gloria Montgomery that has been doing this work for over 45 years and some great people to open a addiction clinic/ sober living house. I'm a nobody. I'm just a recovering addict. All I have to offer is my story and if I can get through to one person out of many then that makes it all worth it. I don't know where my journey is going but i am ready for anything because I feel like I've been through so much. It's made me who I am today.