Success Story #1:
This is the story of a 59 year old white male patient with a history of unsuccessful attempts at recovery. The patient began to use alcohol and nicotine at the age of ten and moved on to marijuana several years later. This initial drug use expanded to cocaine, benzodiazepines, amphetamines, and intravenous heroin. As is typically the case, such illicit drug use lead to incarceration and a subsequent divorce, and separation from children and friends. He lost everything to the point where he was homeless. The patient’s last admission to our program was during February 2012 when people from a local church group brought him from the streets and convinced him to join our program. A friend at the time is the one who paid for his treatment. Since his admission, the patient has shown continued progress through his recovery and continues to attend his local church. He is an active participant in NA meetings, is employed on a part time basis, and is living independently. The patient has also been drug free for some time and has been able to maintain take home medication. He continues to represent the progress that many individuals make as they are admitted to treatment and retained in such care. His story is one of thousands of untold successes in our programs.
Success Story #2:
This story is about a 48 year old Hispanic female who grew up in the Bronx, New York, and has been using heroin since she was 16. This patient was also selling multiple kinds of drugs and was repeatedly incarcerated. She was homeless and had repeated overdoses requiring many hospitalizations. The patient was married when she was 20 and her partner did not use any drugs. They had four children and were able to keep them due to her husband’s continued emotional and financial support. Unfortunately, she continued to use drugs while she was married. This caused serious problems to the relationship and in dealing with her children. After recovering from a near fatal overdose, her husband took her to our treatment center and she was admitted during February of 2005. Our patient demonstrated a remarkable change in her life in addition to remaining drug free since admission, and maintaining two jobs in the past seven years. She also developed a very close relationship with her children. She has been truthful in her discussions with her children about her addiction and treatment. While one sad note is the recent divorce from her husband of many years, they still have maintained a good and healthy relationship. This patient is yet another example of the lives that are helped through our treatment system.
