There is no doubt that drug addiction is a progressive disease.  I started drinking and smoking marijuana regularly when I was a freshman in high school.  By the time I was a freshman in college I was abusing cocaine and starting to dabble with heroin.  Prior to abusing heroin I was what you could call a pretty high functioning drug addict.  Once I had a full blown heroin addiction I quickly became completely non-functioning and my life revolved around where and how I was going to go about getting my next “fix”.  I would wake up in the morning physically sick until I was able to get heroin into my body.  My heroin addiction led me to do things that I never thought I would.  Lie, cheat, steal.  Nothing was below me as long as I was able to keep feeding my addiction.

Eventually my addiction led to an overdose and I knew that if I didn’t get help I would eventually die.  Living in New York I thought that I would give myself the best chance of getting sober if I left my hometown surroundings.  I heard that there was a good inpatient drug rehab available in Jacksonville, Florida.  Inpatient treatment provided me with the support that I needed to kick my heroin addiction.  I was able to work with therapist both individually and in group settings where I could share whatever I was going through with others that were in the same boat as me.  Being with others that were having the same difficulties as me was extremely beneficial.  I knew I wasn’t alone in the struggles I was facing.  The inpatient treatment I attended provided me with the foundation that is pertinent to have a successful recovery from drug addiction.