Teen shares story of recovery

November 14, 2024

When Jim* was 14 years old, he became curious about his mother’s use of pills and one day decided to sneak into her bedroom to steal some.

That was his first experience of substances.

His mother had had issues with substance use for some time. As she was his main role model, given his father wasn’t in his life, he was exposed to those behaviours from a young age, and so it was no wonder that he later would go on to imitate them.

“One day, I got my hands on an opiate prescription,” Jim said. “The high it gave me was unlike anything else.”

He said he started using substances, mostly opioids, to cope with high academic stress (as he was very competitive at school), as well as a way to manage depression and other undiagnosed mental illnesses and trauma.

“Eventually, my use ramped up from once a month, to once a week, to daily and eventually to 3-4 times a day.”

As such, his life started to slide out of control and was put at risk.

“I lied and manipulated a lot of people who were close to me, and I have since now apologised, but apologies can only go so far. This went on for around 9 to 10 months before I realised I needed help.”

For Jim, that realisation was the turning point.

“I started trying to quit. I sought out therapy, as rehab was not really an option for me as I was trying to hide my addiction from my mum,” he said. “However, I relapsed several times.”

Jim said he didn’t give up and kept on trying to cease his use. It would be another six months before he was able to stop.

“I did this mostly alone, hiding it from everyone because of shame. Even with my therapist, I didn’t directly mention my drug use, instead referring it to another addiction.”

In fact, globally, the vast majority of people, who have issues with alcohol or other drugs, won’t seek specific treatment for it. One of the key reasons for this is the stigma that society attaches to it.

Shame, along with fear of negative judgement from others, including from family, friends and even from health professionals, sees many people choose to work on recovery alone.

Jim was fortunate in that with the help of a therapist he was able to recognise the underlying causes behind his use, such as mental health issues and past trauma, and could work on addressing and managing those contributing factors.

He also worked to limit his access to substances by putting restrictions in place, such as on his bank account.

Now, in his late teens, having ceased use for a significant period, Jim said he was the happiest he had been in his entire life. With healthy and supportive relationships in place, he said he was highly motivated and excited for his future.

Jim reached out to Drug ARM with his recovery story after reading and being moved by other similar stories published on our website.

“Reading about the recovery stories, I was kind of hoping that it would one day be me,” he said. “Now I want people to know that recovery is always possible, no matter how bad the circumstances are, and you shouldn’t be scared or ashamed of seeking help,” he said.

“I want to end my story with the saying: addiction doesn’t discriminate. But I want to add my own part: But recovery also doesn’t discriminate.”

If you, or a loved one, has an alcohol or other drug related problem and you’d like to access support, consider getting in contact with Drug ARM. Our workers provide support, without judgement, and with respect for your individual circumstances, culture and confidentiality.

We also have family programs available, which can support your family members or loved ones to gain a better understanding of your substance use issues. We can also help provide advice around rebuilding relationships and reconnecting you with community.

For more information, visit our website or call our Intake Service on 07 3620 8880.

 

*Name has been changed for privacy purposes. Stock images have been used.