My Name is Robert and I AM AN Addict


My name is Robert and I am an addict. As a consequence I landed myself in a halfway house, having no idea what was in store for me. I quickly learned to let go and ask for help. Letting go is letting others do for you what you cannot do for yourself. If you’re thinking about, or interested in knowing what a halfway house is or what it can do for you or someone you love? You should know they are great places of healing and personal growth. Halfway houses are an essential and useful tool for anyone wanting sobriety.
I don’t consider myself to be what you think of when you think of a drug addict. I have never been arrested, I don’t steal. I am educated and generally well liked. I don’t come from a broken home nor was I abused as a child. Still I came to be a drug addict the same way all drug addicts before me. I thought I was invincible. I could never get addicted. I thought my willpower was good. Couple that with the naivety of youth, and a drug addict I became. It consumed me and destroyed my life and relationships with family and friends.
So after many rehabs, I found myself at the doors of a halfway house. A halfway house is the next step an addict takes after completing a 3 to 4 month stay at a drug rehabilitation facility. It’s name says it all. Your halfway to being independent again. Your still in a very restricted environment where your every move is monitored, but you are able to slowly integrate yourself back into society.
I was scared to death. I was about to reside with 12 strangers and had no idea what was in store for me. Will they like me? How long will this take? Will I fit in? All these thoughts raced through my mind.
I was greeted with open arms. I immediately felt safe. Safe from myself and my addiction. The first thing I heard from the house manager was “I am here to love you , until you can love yourself”. I started to cry. The power in that statement was overwhelming. I knew I was in the right place.
It wasn’t all easy; in fact it was hard as hell. I had to learn to trust and share everything about myself, and I mean everything. I had to acknowledge resentments and then let them go. I learned about my irrational core beliefs. Irrational core beliefs are negative views we have of ourselves, gained by a lifetime of influence and self loathing. Not everyone in the house liked me and that was ok. I did fit in, even though everyone in the house came from a different background, we all shared a common bond. We created a makeshift family. It worked. I learned to let go and ask for help when I needed it. It was an emotional journey. A journey I believe everyone, addict or not, should take.
8 months later I left . Now I’m not saying I’m cured, but I have a better understanding of myself and why I do the things I do. With that knowledge I know I will be fine. The halfway house saved my life. I am 18 months clean.