By MIKE SOMMERS

My life before coming to Pathway Family Center was full of chaos, destruction, and deceit. I was a cheater, a liar, a thief and every other thing you can think of. All I wanted to think of was that next fix, that next high and went to any length to get my lover and best friend, alcohol. I’m not going to go into depth about my whole time using, because that’s all over with. What I’m going to tell you about is how my life went into a depressing downward spiral in a matter of six months, so here it is:

I was using on a consistent basis for two and a half years and was getting into prescription drugs, like Valium. My life at that time was an endless cave of desperation and hate. Taking drugs orally and snorting them wasn’t doing much for me anymore. I was looking around for drugs and I came across a couple of syringes. They were filled with intramuscular Valium and I put them in my arm. I was so scared because I wasn’t sure if I was going to overdose and die or not. By the grace of God I lived that day. Three days later I took more than my body could handle, and I didn’t find myself high enough. I ended up overdosing in school and was sent to a hospital detox for four days. Of course I got charged with possession and had to take a lovely trip to juvenile. I got released on thirty days house arrest and I thought that was it. “I wasn’t going to use again,” (or so I thought). After about twenty days of house arrest, I was clean for a little while but relapsed on cough medicine. It was the worst feeling I have ever felt, and knew I was going back to the hell I had created for myself. Since I was still on house arrest, I decided to drink. That was a huge mistake. I wanted to stop drinking but I couldn’t. I didn’t understand, neither did my parents, family, and friends. My drinking binges lasted for about five months until I came to the end of the line. I couldn’t get as drunk as I felt I needed to without getting poisoned. I was so desperate for that worthless liquid I almost killed myself for a week straight by drinking Listerine and rubbing alcohol. At the depths of my sickness, something about the 70 percent alcohol content on the rubbing alcohol bottle intrigued me and decided to drink it. My throat burned for days and so did my stomach. My head throbbed and every thing I smelled, smelt like rubbing alcohol. This is why I know if I put one drink in my body, it’s all over. That was my bottom and if I ever decide to go back to that horrible life, I hope I get exiled from society. How could I even dare to ruin my life as well as everyone’s around me?

My life today is beautiful, and I know I don’t ever have to put a chemical in my body again. I have a choice to follow God’s will, or go back to what I hate. I don’t know about you but I choose God’s will today.

Posted 3/26/2004