My Story of Redemption: From Heavy Drinking and Depression to Sober and Inspiring Others

I was placed in foster care at a young age and began my drinking career at age nine. I stole beer from my foster parents and was violently beaten for my actions but it didn’t matter to me because I found a something that allowed me to breathe. The drink allowed me to be anything I wanted to, I was kicked out of that foster home and found my self homeless on the streets at age nine and that’s how life has been for me.

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Jails, institutions and death were all I ever knew and it wasn’t until I joined a gang that I got my first real sense of belonging. I was used and abused, I was forced to embark on missions with my crew, but as long as I had my alcohol I was ok with anything. I started to do pills and my life started taking a turn for the worse. I got into the drug dealing business, and for years I was doing my own supply while always drinking. My life started to slip before my own eyes and I found myself in situations I could not get out of.

Pills started to get hard to find so I found my 2nd love heroin. Drinking and heroin became my life and I would do anything and hurt anyone to get what I needed. The day came when I found my self in prison for a very long time and I truly thought my life was over. It was then that I met some people in jail who showed me a program that would eventually change the path I was heading down. The program was called the key program, it was a treatment center and it helped to make me realize the life I was living was wrong and that it wasn’t okay to hurt others.

I got out of prison and didn’t change anything so I got the same results. I hit the streets and partied harder and I had a lot of back up time. I found out that nothing would stop me from drinking and drugging, I was truly hopeless. I decided that killing myself was the best answer I could come up with.

I’ve tried to kill my self twice, I’ve overdosed once, I’ve been in accidents, gang fights, and shootouts. Anything you can think of, I did. I found myself wandering the streets of Delaware at 2am and was so broken that I was willing to try anything. So I moved to Maryland, got a sponsor, did some step work, and for once in my life I was truly willing to listen to someone and take suggestions.

I had done the same things over and over, lie, cheat, steal, hurt, abuse, and it always got me the same thing but today I help others by sharing my experience. I realized that I was incapable of putting a stop to my drinking and drug use on my own, and I required a power greater than myself to step in and help me. Today, my life is about helping others and living in the sunlight of the spirit. I am truly grateful to be alive, sober and have a god in my life.

I hope this helps someone. You don’t have to go down the dark path I went down. You can learn from my experience, don’t be afraid to ask for help.

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