Rock Bottom
I woke up in a motel room on E Street in San Bernardino. I didn't know what day it was. I didn't know where my car was. All I knew was that I was sick, tired, and completely alone. This wasn't the first time, but it was the time that broke me.
I had lost everything—my job, my family's trust, my self-respect. I was a ghost in my own life.
The Turning Point
A friend reached out. He didn't preach. He just said, "I know a place." That place was a detox center in Fontana. I was terrified. I didn't think I could live without the drugs. But I knew I couldn't live *with* them anymore.
Those first few weeks were hell. But slowly, the fog lifted. I started attending meetings. I heard people laughing—genuinely laughing—without a drink in their hand. I wanted what they had.
Finding Purpose
The 12th Step talks about carrying the message. For me, this was the key. I started volunteering at a local food bank. I started sponsoring guys who were newer than me.
Service took me out of my own head. When I was helping someone else, I wasn't thinking about my own problems. I realized that my past—all that pain and darkness—was actually an asset. It allowed me to connect with people who were still suffering in a way that "normal" people couldn't.
Today, I am not just sober; I am alive. I have a purpose. And that purpose is to tell you: there is a way out.