We know. We get it.
Many of us have been at the crossroads and, like you, took that first step and asked for professional help.
However, that was not me. It took looking at a long prison sentence, with the possibility of doing most, if not all, of the rest of my life there before I decided to change.
I changed during my 10 years in prison while most prisoners don’t change.
70% of prisoners return who do not get help for their addiction
A 2006 study by the National Institutes of Drug Abuse found that 95% of those in prison for drug related offenses who do not receive treatment in or outside of prison upon their release, end up relapsing into drugs, and 70% return to prison.
This is in large part due to the fact that for the most part, the symptoms (people, places, and things) are not present or reasonably obtained or experienced in a confined environment like prison. This disease must be treated in the environments where these symptoms occur.
Finally, during my time in a federal prison, I began to understand the value of sobriety and getting my life back on track.
I gained a genuine understanding of what family and living a life that values respect for yourself and others is like, as well as the absence of freedom.
Don’t waste your life.
I’m here to tell you that you do not have to waste years in a physical, or emotional, prison to recover from drug and alcohol dependence — or childhood trauma.
You can build a better life for yourself out here in the real world as you learn how to master obstacles and challenges in life without escaping to drugs and alcohol.
Let us help you on that journey, or help you find someone who can.
You’re not alone, but you are among the few.
Approximately 328 million people live in the United States, today. In 2015, an estimated 20.8 million Americans aged 12 or older had alcohol or other drug use disorders, while approximately 27.1 million people aged 12 or older reported past-month illicit drug use.
More Americans now die every year from drug overdoses than in motor vehicle crashes.
Yet 89% of individuals estimated who need treatment for a substance use disorder do not receive treatment services.
You can clearly see that you are not alone and among the small percentage of those in need of treatment who are getting help for a disease that on average kills 120 people a day in this country. I am sure you will agree that we would have a national outcry if that were the case with any other disease.
Where do you want to be?
Do you want to be part of the 90% living in the “Land of the Free?” Or do you feel content dragging that ball and chain of addiction and/or mental illness around with you every hour of every day for the rest of your life?
I know how hard it is to cut that chain. It’s thick, and creeps deep into your soul when every day you tell yourself you can manage something that to your family and loved ones is obviously managing you.
Believe me when I tell you it’s worth every shiver, every night sweat, or other withdrawal symptoms or raw emotions to get free of whatever demon is holding you back.
Don’t question why you’re reading this. Make your decision. Go for the freedom. Take that road to recovery.
It took a lot for me to be free.
I don’t want to admit that I can be stubborn – but I would be in D-E-N-I-A-L (Don’t Even Notice I Am Lying) to say I wasn’t. I wasted many good years moving around from town-to-town, keeping a low profile, not committing to anything or anyone.
I recall near the end of my run, waking up as a fugitive from justice in Miami, Florida facing a 25-year prison sentence, never believing that I would be able to see my mother, siblings, or the rest of my family for the rest of my life, or as a free man.
I thought seriously about killing myself because of the ruin that drugs had caused me and my family. But I couldn’t bring myself to do that. My plan was to let the police shoot me when I ran from them if they ever caught up with me. I am glad they did, and that I never had that opportunity.
And I am sure my teenage daughter and my family are too. Today, after serving 10 of those year in federal prison, I am living a life beyond my wildest dreams.
I have joy in my life.
Having family and friends around me, and the freedom to choose for myself, is so much better than anything drug money could ever buy me. I wake up and feel like the most blessed man on the planet that “I get to go to work” at a job that I am passionate about doing something that fills every crevice of my soul helping others find recovery before they have to endure any further unnecessary carnage in their lives like I did mine.
And most of all…I am free. Free to choose the little things in life – like what to have for breakfast and who I decide to spend my time with.
You can be free too.
Let us help you. Life’s too hard to go it alone and to not live it to your full potential.
If you suffer from depression, anxiety, or drug addiction — contact us. Take your next step on the road to recovery. You can call us at 316-295-4800 anytime day or night — or fill out the form on our contact page.
Take care. Be strong. Live free.
~Peter
P.S. If you want to know more of my story, go to my page.
Our office hours are Monday through Friday from 8am to 9pm and some Saturdays. Call anytime to leave a message at 316-295-4800.
Remember if this is a medical emergency, please dial 9-1-1 to get help.
If you need to talk with someone immediately, call Sedgwick County’s COMCARE’s Crisis Line at 316-660-7500 or Text CONNECT to 741741.
