Celebrating Recovery: My Dad’s Story

Did you know, this month is National Recovery Month? With his permission to share, here is a part of my dad’s story.

At 11 years old, my dad went to a party full of adults. At that party a woman made the choice to stick a needle full of heroin in his arm. He worked the next 30 years to escape the trap of addiction. For my dad, addiction started as a child in the hands of an adult. For many adults that story is all too familiar, exposed to something as children that led to death and destruction in adulthood. My dad lost his marriage, his career, my sister and I’s childhood. He lost time. Memories. Hope. He lost a lot during the time of addiction, and he will be the first to attest to how lonely and broken he truly was.

Today though, through the power of choice, my dad is free! Today he is surrounded by grandchildren, children, family, and friends that both love and celebrate his life. We together, celebrated his 9 years of freedom this past August. If you are dying from the effects of addiction, his story is here to remind you that it is never too late. You are never too far lost or too far gone to experience life. My dad did it, not alone and not in shame and you don’t have to either. Addiction can be beat. You aren’t alone.