Sam's Story (3 minutes)

I started drinking alcohol when I was around fifteen. My drinking progressed like most other alcoholics, pretty dramatically in a short period of time. I began noticing that I'd start drinking and couldn't stop. I continued drinking throughout high school. Once I graduated, I not only graduated from high school, but from alcohol to other drugs and experimenting with different things. I continued to use up until around the age of twenty-seven. I found out each time that I tried to stop, that my will power just was not capable of staying away from the alcohol and drugs. I had got into, not only just using, I was selling and manufacturing. I eventually got busted. I ended up doing a year split in jail. Somehow I seemed to stay somewhat clean while I was in jail. When I got out, I was introduced to a halfway house. There I learned I got to meet some people in an AA and NA communities. Which I had never heard of before, from where I was from it was not an outspoken thing. You know I met a lot of people and learned a lot of things and could relate to a lot of things. It really helped me to see that other people had suffered from the same problems I had and were staying clean and sober. So I just dug in and continued not to use. I finished the program at the half way house and started to do some service work with them. I was working kind of volunteer for a long time, eventually it led into a full time position. I am now back in college and finishing an Associate's Degree at this time. I am also the service manager at a half way house. I've got some long term goals- I plan on getting a Master's Degree in Social work. I just got certified as an alcohol and drugs counselor, back in January of 2008. So thanks to the programs around and the halfway house I attended, I've been able to continue a pretty successful life up until this point. Y'all guys that are out there still suffering, that you know, think it's impossible, I remember feeling the same way. I didn't think I could relate to anybody. That was one of my biggest problems; I never was able to talk to anyone that could relate the same problems I had. Trust me, I've been there, search, look to people, look to NA, AA whichever is closet to you. It's possible, it's going to take some footwork, but it's possible, it can be done. So, good luck!