Confessions of a Former Drug Addict

The gym used to be my drug, I trained hard and read this forum everyday. I started using pills like most just on the weekends, but like everyone else that follows that downward spiral I soon started including coke and taking pills almost everyday. Get high or go to the gym, for awhile it was go to the gym, or get high and go to the gym, but as my â??diseaseâ?? progressed I began to choose drugs over training, when I did train it was not very intense and I was finding myself tired very easily.

Eventually I had to choose to either loose my wife, or check myself into a rehab. I made the right choice and entered an IOP program that has changed my life. Today I am celebrating 90 days sober.

I lost 8 lbs in the first 9 days alone from not drinking, and once again started using the gym as my outlet. I was lucky that I had trained enough during my addiction to not loose everything I had gained but today I am happy to report that my training is the best it has ever been, I am the strongest, and instead of being tired after 30 min, I can train like a beast for 90 and still feel like I have gas in my tank.

I am a nice 225 lbs now at 16% body fat, (I wont include any pictures holding a shoe), just under 6 foot, and I could not be happier. I once again am training with the enthusiasm I once had, and reading this forum everyday. So why am I posting this, and why would anyone careâ?

I guess I am posting this because I am proud of myself, and because I know there are other people that have addiction issues that might read this and if one person is inspired by my words then I will feel that I have given back like the people who help me have. Thanks T-Nation, you help keep my sober, training better and laughing.

As an after thought…perhaps I should change my handle

Nice! Congrats on your sobriety. Happy you are back in the gym and here

congrats stay off the suace

Good stuff. I always said that I loved the gym because it’s where I can control things. Take that feeling you get there, and let it spread to everything else.

S

good work! glad to hear that you’re out of the “pit”.

Congrats bro; been through alot of the same, and the weights helped pull me through, mabey take a look at my log " Anytimes comeback" I talk about my road to recovery, and giving back to stay clean. Good luck, and keep your head up, it only gets better :slight_smile:

Congrats! Also congrats on 9 posts in 5 years lol. I love seeing people with crazy ratios like that.

That’s awesome, keep it up.

[quote]csulli wrote:
Congrats! Also congrats on 9 posts in 5 years lol. I love seeing people with crazy ratios like that.[/quote]

<—king lurker, and sound advice Stu, I hope you are healing well.

Good on ya. You never know; you may just saved someone’s life with this post.

Cool, what pills did you take?

If you were working the program you would know there is no such thing as a former addict. Only one that is using or one that is recovering.

[quote]Hydroponics wrote:
The gym used to be my drug, I trained hard and read this forum everyday. I started using pills like most just on the weekends, but like everyone else that follows that downward spiral I soon started including coke and taking pills almost everyday. Get high or go to the gym, for awhile it was go to the gym, or get high and go to the gym, but as my â??diseaseâ?? progressed I began to choose drugs over training, when I did train it was not very intense and I was finding myself tired very easily.

Eventually I had to choose to either loose my wife, or check myself into a rehab. I made the right choice and entered an IOP program that has changed my life. Today I am celebrating 90 days sober.

I lost 8 lbs in the first 9 days alone from not drinking, and once again started using the gym as my outlet. I was lucky that I had trained enough during my addiction to not loose everything I had gained but today I am happy to report that my training is the best it has ever been, I am the strongest, and instead of being tired after 30 min, I can train like a beast for 90 and still feel like I have gas in my tank.

I am a nice 225 lbs now at 16% body fat, (I wont include any pictures holding a shoe), just under 6 foot, and I could not be happier. I once again am training with the enthusiasm I once had, and reading this forum everyday. So why am I posting this, and why would anyone careâ?

I guess I am posting this because I am proud of myself, and because I know there are other people that have addiction issues that might read this and if one person is inspired by my words then I will feel that I have given back like the people who help me have. Thanks T-Nation, you help keep my sober, training better and laughing.

As an after thought…perhaps I should change my handle
[/quote]

Congrats! I’ve been dealing with a similar issue myself lately, and being that it’s Friday was feeling ready to party. Thanks for some inspiration.

[quote]Hydroponics wrote:
king lurker[/quote]

Hardly.

The word you were looking for is “lose.” The word “loose” is reserved for describing things like your bowels or your wife.

Congratulations, Champ!

[quote]sonnyp wrote:
If you were working the program you would know there is no such thing as a former addict. Only one that is using or one that is recovering.[/quote]

That is not true. Read the AA big book.

[quote]Hexachlorophene J. Goodfortune wrote:
The word you were looking for is “lose.” The word “loose” is reserved for describing things like your bowels or your wife.
[/quote]

You signed up for T-Nation just so you could loose this brilliant observation upon us with your very first post, didn’t you?

Congratulations, champ.

[quote]USMCpoolee wrote:

[quote]sonnyp wrote:
If you were working the program you would know there is no such thing as a former addict. Only one that is using or one that is recovering.[/quote]

That is not true. Read the AA big book. [/quote]

I’ve heard it explained as after having had a spiritual awakening as a result of the steps, you have recovered from the physical, psychological, and spiritual devastation caused by alcoholism.

I’ve seen both philosophies work though.

Hydro- Great job on the 90 days. Hitting the weights has also helped me through some really rough times. It probably helped that all of the guys I lift with are in recovery too.

Good work man!

[quote]Hexachlorophene J. Goodfortune wrote:
[/quote]
Name… too long… please… try again…