Mike D's Sober Living Success Story - Real Recovery
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Mike's Sober Living Success Story

Mike's Sober Living Success Story

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Sobriety Date: 09/21/2020
Age: 29
Drug(s) of Choice:  Everything
Alumni Interview Date: 4/19/2022

I will never be perfect and I am grateful for that because I can always continue to grow, I would not be where I am today if I had not ended up at Real Recovery...

– Mike D.

Personal Background

I grew up in a normal household with a mother and a father who were both non addicts and one younger sibling, I was more so the black sheep and always did whatever I saw fit and always seemed to face minimal consequences and that was what set the tone for the rest of my life until my using began to become far out of hand.

Recovery Background

I began drinking at the age of 10 and began smoking weed when I was 13 and around 15 began using hallucinogens, it was all fun in the beginning and I continued to party that way throughout high school, when I was 18 I was introduced to opiates and that was what really sent me into a spiral, it started out with pills which progressed to heroin as well as needles, I then began to do anything and everything to continue to use my drugs.

Once I fell in love with opiates they became a very expensive habit to keep up with and that is where the consequences began to come into play, I got a DUI when I was 18 and then began stealing to keep up with the financial means of my drug addiction, was caught with drugs, was arrested on several occasions, was stealing and selling anything I could get my hands on and was banished from my family as a direct result of my using.

How were you introduced to the 12-step program and recovery?

I was initially introduced to 12 step meetings as a result of getting fired from one of my jobs I had when I was 21 and was told that if I went to meetings I can have my job back, needless to say that didn’t last very long at that time, as time went on and I had less and less places to go I ended up doing my first 30 day treatment at the age of 23 and I continued to do the rehab shuffle for several years each time putting together more and more clean time until eventually it became a way of life for me, a much better way of life at that.

Mikey's Journey at Real Recovery

How was your experience at Real Recovery?

Real Recovery was hands down the exact place that I needed to end up at exactly when I needed it the most, Real Recovery taught me how to live my life, and to live my life clean.

Was there anything that you did while you were in sober living that you think made a difference this time?

Yes, I became connected, connected to the program, connected to others in recovery, and it was the first time that I gave recovery a real shot as far as getting a sponsor, working the steps, and being of service to the fellowship and to others in recovery and in life in general.

What was the hardest or most challenging step for you?

Step 6 hands down was the most challenging step for me, I could easily look at my past and blame all of my negative behaviors on the fact that I was using drugs, however looking into my shortcomings in the present while in recovery is difficult because the list was far more intensive than I thought that it would be and this is how I was acting while in recovery, these areas needed some serious work and while being honest in working this step the work was able to be done and is still done today on a daily basis.

Was there a step or a point where you felt that things shifted or that you got the most relief from?

Working a thorough 4th and 5th step were monumental in developing a trusting and honest relationship with my sponsor and that is a relationship that I still have to this day, this was the first time that I let go completely and trusted the process and I couldn’t have been more happy with the results, also working a thorough 8th and 9th step has brought past relationships back into my life with old family, friends, and employers and has shown the growth and change in my life that has occurred as a direct result of working an honest program of recovery.

After Real Recovery & Life In Sobriety Today

How’s life now?

Life is literally beyond my wildest dreams, I currently am renting a house with my girlfriend, we are saving up to buy our own home, I am the manager at an awesome job that I was able to get in recovery and keep because of recovery, I continue to go to meetings and be of service to the fellowship, and I live my life based on what I have learned through working the 12 steps.

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What three things/tips would you tell your past self or share with someone considering sober living/recovery?

Do it, give yourself an honest shot and if your not happy with the way things are looking in 6 months go back to your old ways and see how that works for you. Trust those who have walked before you, be honest, and build relationships with the like minded people in the rooms and keep those relationships healthy and strong because those are the ones that will save your life when you need them the most.

Do you have a daily routine that helps you stay sober?

Yes, I stay in contact with other recovering addicts, I stick close to the friends that I have made while living at real recovery who are still clean and sober, I continue to be of service in my homegroup and make regular commitments at other meetings so I get myself to those meetings even if I don’t particularly want to, I stay in contact with my sponsor and I am always reaching out to the newcomer as those have reached out to me when I was first coming around the rooms, I try my best to live my life today based within the spiritual principles that I have learned through working the 12 steps, I will never be perfect and I am grateful for that because I can always continue to grow, I would not be where I am today if I had not ended up at Real Recovery and for that I am forever grateful.

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