Jack S.
December Class of 2008
Life is a beautiful thing, and before I came to The Family Foundation School in February of 2007, I was wasting it on a daily basis. The lifestyle of addiction was draining me emotionally, physically, and mentally; but I thought I was having the time of my life.
Stealing, lying, cheating, and using was getting me exactly what I wanted: failing school, in the backseat of a police car, with no friends, and no respect from my family. (That last sentence was a joke).
After being in two rehabs and not wanting anything to do with the solutions that I was offered, I went on one final run, and went to wilderness the next day. That day was December 16, 2006, my sobriety date. Then I came to The Family School to start my journey of recovery.
Progress was slow at first, and I stayed stagnant, doing almost nothing. I had my fair share of table topics, corner time, and consequences. But that’s not what did it for me. It was the way that I felt on the inside: miserable, angry, and alone. So with the help of Geoff Westby, Larry Patrisso, and Chris Stein, I was able to “take the cotton out of ears and put it into my mouth,” as John Langdon would say. I did the steps to the best of my abilities, helped others, prayed, and did the next right thing. I am so thankful that I was able to be willing to change.
As I am writing this I am sitting here tearing up, so grateful to everything that was given to me by going to the school. I have my life back; I can do what I want.
As I prepared to leave the school I became extremely nervous, and scared. I didn’t want to go back to the life that I used to live. I had no idea what to do. But I never stopped praying, continued to talk to my sponsor and family leader, and help the other guys. Graduation day came and there were some tough goodbyes, but I left, unsure of the future.
I went to a meeting that night, getting a sponsor and a home group within 8 hours of leaving the school. I called my sponsor the next morning and he told me the meeting he wanted me to attend the next day. I went. After the meeting, he introduced me to two young guys, one who is an alumni of the school. They gave me a meeting book and started taking me to meetings. By Tuesday, I was sitting in a diner with a bunch of other young AA’s. I met a guy who has let me work for him in AA.
I celebrated two years of sobriety in December, something I would never have imagined for myself. I go to college, still procrastinate on the work, but it is a work in progress.
Life isn’t all peaches and cream though. I had no idea how to live a sober life outside of The Family School. I got urges to drink and drug like I hadn’t had in a very long time, anger plagued me, and I felt an extreme sense of loneliness. But I got through all of this by using the tools of the program. I have people that I can call, I go to meetings every day, I am working the steps with a new sponsor, and I have an awesome relationship with my family.
The most important things that I have been told since leaving the school are to live the program one day at time, to live as simply as possible; and when problems do arise my sponsor tells me, “This too shall pass.” God bless.
