RICH | Denver, CO

My mom was able to get me into treatment right away, and her support made all the difference.

I am Rich. Using drugs was my attempt to cover up a lot of the anxiety, depression and anger issues I had. Within six months of first trying heroin, I was using it daily, which was expensive. I eventually got arrested for stealing electronics from a neighbor to pay for heroin, and went to jail for six months. When I got out I stopped using heroin, started community college, and even made the Dean’s List. I believed I could drink and use marijuana since I was doing well, but I soon found myself caught up in the opioid addiction cycle once more, this time moving from pills to heroin. I wanted to quit but couldn’t figure out how. Because of my addiction, I was suffering.

When I was on the verge of homelessness, I was on a train when I overheard a couple discussing addiction treatment. It was like, ‘Why didn’t I think of this already?’ I reached out to my mom and told her I needed help, because I needed someone to tell me it was OK to ask for help, to leave the small stability I had with my job, and get treatment. I didn’t know if treatment would be available to me, but my mom was really supportive of my recovery. My mom was able to get me into treatment right away, and her support made all the difference. I’ve been in long-term recovery since, and mom’s still there for me, literally every day. She sends me a smiley face at the same time every day. And knowing that I have support can make all the difference. So I feel better day by day and I also made huge improvement for my recovery treatment.