My name is Woody I'm 22 years old and I'm a recovering addict. ?The very last day I used any mood changing or mind-altering substance was May 23, 2010. I grew up in a good home with loving parents. My dad owned his own buisness and did very well for my family. I was taught good morals and to work hard. My parents were always busy so i didnt get much attention at home. When i was in school i was always the class clown and starved for attention and to?be wanted. I remember as a kid I would sneak beer out of my dad's cooler. I hated the way it tasted but I loved the way it felt. When I was 13 I found marijuana stashed in my parents kitchen. The very first time I smoked it I fell in love with it. It wasn't something I did all the time and I eventually grew tired of it, I wanted something more. My first year of high school, I went to school where I didn't know anybody. I started doing what I could to fit in from the start. I started hangin out with a group of boys and one night I saw ecstasy for the first time. Immediately I loved it. I could party all night long and was the life of the party. All through high school I tried all types of drugs but my favorite by far was pain killers.

After graduating high school I went on to college. About 2 weeks into college I started abusing pain medicine by shooting them up with a needle. Right away I was hooked on this new way of getting loaded. A few days after starting IV drug abuse I came across my drug of choice, heroin. The very first time it hit my blood stream I knew that it was what I always wanted. A month later heroin was all that I wanted. I had a part time job and it wasn't enough to support my habit. I had a savings account that my grandmother put money in for me since I was a baby. I had about $6000 in it and I blew through that in a matter of months with my partying habits. I started stealing from my parents and buying large amounts of dope so I could sell it to support my habit. That went well for a little while until I started using more than I was selling. In the process of all this I got fired from my job by my own father. I ended up quiting school and getting kicked out of my house. I moved into an apartment with a close friend of mine and my girlfriend at the time. During that time I was pushing my loved ones away and centering my life around drugs and partying. I began to be more and more miserable. I chose to blame everybody else for my problems and stayed pissed off at the world 24/7.

After living like that a while I had enough of myself. I hated the person I was. I just didn't know what to do. I eventually got caught up in a big lie I told and broke down and told my best friend what I've been doing. My friend drove me to a hospital. I told the doctor that I'm under the influence of heroin and I needed help. He told me that he couldn't get me into a rehab facility, but he could get me into a mental health hospital, but only if I was thinking about suicide. I wanted to get out of the mess that I called my life so bad but I wasn't suicidal at that point. I lied and told the doctor that I was, just so I could get somewhere and get help. I ended up at a mental health place in new Orleans, la. After being there 3 days detoxing I went back home with my parents. They sent me to a treatment center in Tennessee. I was there for 4 months. At the treatment center I learned that my problem wasn't drugs, my problem was me. The center I was at introduced me to the 12 steps of NA. I found my higher power and I started to get more spiritual. After leaving the treatment center I was told to go to 90 NA or AA meetings in 90 days. I went to 180 meetings in 90 days. I found a sponsor and started working the steps. My life has been so much better because of the 12 steps. I still face life's hardships everyday, but I'm able to do it while being clean and humble. Everyday has been a blessing to me and I owe it all to NA, my friends, my family, and most of all to God. I now have, a house, a vehicle, and a great job. NA has given me my life back and I am grateful evry day.