George thought quick treatment would fix him—until relapse and a suicide attempt proved otherwise. He returned to Avenues raw, honest, and ready to fight for his life.
Now he’s sober, smiling, and breaking the cycle his own father never could.
My name is George, and this is my recovery story.
So I left Avenues before. In June I graduated, and I went home June 13th. And after two months I had relapsed. I thought that just going there would cure me. I didn't realize that this really is addiction that you have to stay on top of. It was dark. I just, I was tired of fighting. I attempted suicide and I spent five days in the ICU. When I got out of the ICU, the first thing I did, rather than go see my kid or even check on my kid, I go to cop. And it was like at that moment, I knew I was just in too deep. For the first time, I truly realized I'm powerless over my addiction. I needed to go get help.
Pretty much that same day, I called Avenues up. And the next day I was here. It was embarrassing at first, but at the same time, I knew what I did wrong last time versus what I had to do this time. This time I came in, I got vulnerable right away. I stayed open the whole time, actually telling people what's going on in my mind, being honest about how I felt. And all that stuff really opened me up to where this time comes from.
My addiction held me back a long time. Really, my recovery has to be everything to me because I grew up in a home where my dad was on drugs, my dad was an alcoholic. My dad never tried to get help. So for me, it's like I don't want my kid to see me being like that. I don't want him being raised in the same environment I was in. My dad opened the door for me to know about drugs and alcohol, and I can't be that same way to my kid. So I have to recover because I'm not putting my kid through what I went through.
You can't give up on your recovery because for us, it's life and death. So we can't give up on it. You have to go to the meetings. And you actually have to apply yourself afterwards. It feels amazing where I'm at now. 100%, I can't say it without smiling. I'm happy and sober, which for me, that's two things I've never been. This place really gave me the tools I need to get out and actually have a chance at this.
My name is George, and I found my way home - and you can find your way home too.