Growing up I felt like I never fit into the groups of people I hung around with, I struggled with my relationships at school and home as a teenager and had a problem with authority. I ended up being asked to leave school, home and had the loss of someone close to me. Homelessness and the death of a family member sent me into a downward spiral that triggered depression and some very unhealthy habits that would run the next 5 years of my life!
At the time I felt like ending it all, as it seemed like the easiest way to stop the pain. I remember the constant calling to numb the pain because of the brother I had lost and lack of connection and direction in life. Scoring drugs and spending days at a time getting high and not sleeping became a weekly occurrence! It all started out as fun and games until things started to turn sour and drama was constantly around me, that’s when I realized just how addicted I had become!
I’m not proud of some of the things I had to do to get through parts of this toxic lifestyle I felt trapped within, but I was a child in survival mode!
Years of this unstable life started to take its toll on me and I hit a few major crossroads, the drama became too much for me to handle and I needed to make some changes!
Now 10 years have passed, looking back at those pivotal moments I’m forever grateful and proud of the decisions I made to make the change I needed to reach my full potential. Life has been nothing short of amazing since, I have traveled the world and created a life full of beautiful memories and lifelong friends.
That is why I’m here wanting to share my story and the lessons I picked up along the way, hoping to help anyone in need and to show you that there is a way out of a seemingly hopeless situation.
Written by Justin, a dance floor enthusiast and Recovery Educator with discovery college
