By 
I am honored to share my story with you all in this edition of the “Mountainside Connection”. I want to begin this story by admitting that when I started my sobriety journey at Mountainside, I was unable to grasp everything that I needed to stay sober my first time at rehab. I unfortunately (or fortunately) had to go through the rehab process two more times before I had prolonged success.
My story starts like a lot of others.
Alcohol was a part of my life from a very early stage in life. I’m the child of an alcoholic who paid the ultimate price and lost his life to this disease at 59. He was an only child who had eight children and never could quite grasp the magnitude of the damage he created. It caused a lot of unrest in our lives. I never wanted to become him but unfortunately, I was well on my way. I had a lot of fun but it really became a full-time job at the end and was anything but fun! I’m extremely lucky to have had resources that he didn’t have at his disposal and I was willing to try and find a better way.
I will be married 25 years in February and have two sons who are 22 and 24 years old. I really put them through a lot during my last few years of drinking. Whether it was my mood swings, embarrassing them, driving drunk or just lack of presence in the house. I was always sorry and did try to stop on my own, but I always thought that I could learn how to drink like everyone else (Just stop doing shots and stick to beer, never heard that before). I also realized that I couldn’t be successful unless I had finally reached my emotional bottom. I made a lot of mistakes and had some issues with a couple of DWI’s over a 15 year period and a loss of a job at the end. I’m extremely lucky that I didn’t lose my career.
My journey to sobriety has been a long journey but rewarding beyond words. My relationship with my family has improved immensely. My wife and I have weathered the storm and are stronger than ever. My sons are proud of my journey. I have been able to concentrate on my sobriety and health. As a result, I lost over 150lbs in the last year with the help of what I learned at Mountainside.
I will need to work at this for the rest of my life and will never be cured but with the help of everything I learned, I now have the tools to a better way of life. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, the help is there! You just have to ask and be willing. God Bless!
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Hi Alumni, it’s Brenda – Mountainside’s Community Life Liaison!
I joined the Mountainside Alumni Facebook group a while back and saw alumni sharing their recovery milestones. I’m sure we all have thought about our jobs and whether we enjoy our work, find it fulfilling, or even like what we do? Yes, I do get to chase down the coffee hoarders and non-bed makers, as clients. But when I see our alumni sharing that they are doing so well in their sobriety because of Mountainside – THAT is why I do what I do. Nothing can beat that feeling for me. Peace and love to you all.
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, Mountainside can help.
Click here or call (888) 833-4676 to speak with one of our addiction treatment experts.
