I was 20 years old when I had my first appointment with Pathway. At this point in my life I had been using drugs and alcohol since I was 12 years old, a total of 8 years. During those eight years my parents pursued every opportunity to “get” me sober, all with little to no success. They tried counselors, medications, two wilderness treks, a boarding school and I still found ways to get high. At age 19 I got a job offer to move down to Tempe, Arizona to be an audio visual director at a church. One of the conditions of my employment was for me to stay sober; that lasted no more than one week. Four months went by and I got kicked out of the place where I was living for having drugs and alcohol. My employment was now in jeopardy. That night I called my parents and I will never forget what they said, “we love you, but you can not move back into our home; hope you figure it out.” The next day I approached my employer and came clean about getting high for the past 4 moths. He suggested treatment, which I was very opposed to, but at the end of our conversation he told me that he LOVED me……I believed him, I don’t know why but I did, so the next day I had my first appointment. I was met with that same LOVE, compassion, care and understanding by the staff and other members of the support group. I started outpatient and moved into Step One and began the recovery process. Sobriety did not come easy but I had a group of people who loved me and stuck by me through the ups and downs of early recovery. I currently have 4 ½ years sober and often look back at my time spent at Pathway and get an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. The main thing that I brought away from Pathway was the ability to identify, accept, and give away the LOVE that was so freely given to me. Pathway truly helped me transform my life in a way that I never knew was possible.
I love you all
I had a really hard time getting sober when I was teenager. Step Two was the last chance that my parents gave me to go through treatment and I believe it is the best place on the face of the planet for somebody to get sober. When I showed up I was hopeless and about to completely give up on sobriety because I had gone through treatment 4 times from ages 15-17 and I just wasn't getting it. While in Step Two I learned that I was not hopeless, how to work the steps, and that sobriety could be fun and enjoyable. I fell in love with being sober when I was there and have wanted to keep it up ever since. Today I have 11 years sober and I can always look back at my experience in Step Two when I need a reminder about what I need to do to stay sober. Step Two helped save my life and I will always be grateful for that. Thank you for loving me.
