Running head: DRUG RECOVERY STORY 1

Unsuccessful Drug Addiction Recovery Story

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliation

Course Instructor

Date
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Unsuccessful Drug Addiction Recovery Story

Background of early childhood to adolescents

Edgar is my cousin and he is 25 years of age. He was born in Ireland, and his parents at

the moment were alcoholics. Some of his childhood was spent in Belfast, Ireland and part of it in

Edmonton, Alberta, too. At the age of 14, he used to smoke marijuana and tobacco every day,

many times a day. The feeling of getting out of his skin was amazing. Smoking marijuana helped

him forget who he was. He has loved it since his first hit. He realized then, that he was capable

of getting away from his reality and he could use this drug to modify how he felt or maybe not

feel at all. According to him at that point in his life, that was indeed exactly what he desired.

Drugs induce a situation that evades reality (Chan et al,2017).

He used to smoke weed any time he could at the age of 15 and soon figured out that

everyone around him was drinking alcohol, so he thought he would try it out. According to Chan

et al, (2017), such a toxic home environment adds to the comfort and curiosity of children to try

drugs and not feel wrong about it. At home, he had alcoholic parents and in school, there were

his wayward peers. He always thought since his parents and siblings drink then it couldn’t be

that bad.” The first time he drank so much, he got sick. The fact is that he did not like alcohol,

but yet he still drank as much as he could, because it was socially appropriate. It seems he

couldn’t get enough. For two years, his addiction to drinking and smoking marijuana persisted.

Drug activities, change of behavior and impact to his life

He started thinking at the age of 17, and he began to realize I wasn’t good at school or

sports. Drug use slugged his productivity in-class lessons and assignments, he also became

dormant in his sports areas specifically in soccer and basketball. He questioned a lot about what

he was doing with his life but none of these questions triggered a better version of himself. He
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started hanging out with the wrong people who convinced him he did not need education, and

they were everything he wanted, and it was going to be okay. He trusted them and their influence

as he thought he had found somewhere to belong to, he felt he was home.

Edgar was affected immensely by the people he spent his time with, and also the home

environment he grew up in specifically his alcoholic parents. He succumbed to peer pressure

and, for the first time, he used cocaine. It didn’t bother him, and at school, he started using

cocaine and finally got enough to make some extra cash. One of his errors was taking this stuff

to school for his classmates to sell. He was really “successful” but got kicked out of school by

the principal, caught on, and long story short, his family was upset. At home, he started his

schooling and did very well. His family thought the whole drug and substance use was finally

over. However, it didn’t change who Edgar spent his time with. His relationship with drugs and

alcohol did not change that.

From what Edgar recalls, to fit in with a certain crowd was to be "cool." He didn't fit in

with anybody as far as he could recall and preferred to be isolated from everything. He just

desired people to enjoy his presence and to like who he was, but he didn't know who he was, and

he didn't like himself, to tell you the truth. From a young age, he felt insignificant and that grew

as a teenager into an even lower degree of self-esteem. Struggling to fit in with the coolest crowd

then he fell victim to heroin use specifically, sugar brown. It was heroin with brown material.

Something he has never felt in his life before. He felt incredible and enjoyed using heroin. He

became solely addicted to heroin.

Turning Point and Realizations

Edgar’s turning point was when his friend Cael passed away. Edgar and Cael were good

friends and spent every day together, doing drugs. One particular evening after using heroin they
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both left for their homes. The following morning Edgar got a Cael that changed his life. He was

informed that his friend Cael had died from a heroin overdose. Edgar’s life hit a standstill and

that was when he decided to change for the better and seek help. His parents were present for

him during the grieving time and enrolled him in a private rehabilitation center program for

addicts.

Transition to Recovery

Edgar went to Cedars at Cobble Hill for treatment and on January 5, 2014, he started his

life of rehabilitation. Ever since then, he has been safe and sober. And also, because the

resilience that his brother, his mother, and an incredible network of people around him have

given has supported his journey of healing and restoration. Edgar acknowledges that rehab was

tough and he managed to maintain the strength without relapsing. He made new incredible

friends at the Institution and together they pushed each other to be better. Edgar leads a healthy

life and he is clean every day. For him, he believed that Cael was also part of his recovery

journey. While he is not physically with him, Cael is still his best friend and he leads him on his

clean journey through life, healthy, mindful, and trying to come to terms with the intensity of his

sorrow, loss, and sadness.

After Rehabilitation and Recovery

Losing Cael was the decisive point of going to drug therapy. This decision changed his

life for the better, and he was able to get help with his problem. Being at Cedars made him

quickly realize that it wasn't so much about the drugs, but also his acts. He realized that he was

quickly inducted into drugs because of his family background. But after treatment, his family has

developed an environment where he can well and be clean. The rehabilitation has helped Edgar

be a resourceful person in society as he loves himself and acknowledges who he is. He

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discovered that being who he was is okay. Today, he is proud of who he has become. Thanks to

the 12-step program that he underwent at the Institution he is now able to control his actions

before he reacts to anything (Meredith et al,2018). The program which Edgar took made him feel

his emotions and he is continually reminded that having feelings is not a bad thing. Today, the

program gives him a sense that encourages him to step forward in life. Edgar acknowledges that

the 12-Steps are incredible instruments for him and others in his life to practice on.
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References

Chan, G. C., Kelly, A. B., Carroll, A., & Williams, J. W. (2017). Peer drug use and adolescent

polysubstance use: Do parenting and school factors moderate this association?. Addictive

behaviors, 64, 78-81.

Meredith, L. S., Ewing, B. A., Stein, B. D., Shadel, W. G., Holliday, S. B., Parast, L., &

D’Amico, E. J. (2018). Influence of mental health and alcohol or other drug use risk on

adolescent reported care received in primary care settings. BMC Family Practice, 19(1),

10.