Justin Age: 17

What caused your problem?

I believe that when my father divorced my mother the end of rules and expectations began. I was about nine years old. No longer was my behavior limited by a stern father figure. I was free to do as I please when it came to being a boy as well as a man. Alcoholism also runs in my family on both my mother and my father’s side. As it progressed, I kept justifying my use and rationalizing that I wasn’t a problem. In the meantime I began looking at my own life and evaluating the whole thing.

What were the effects of the issue?

When being high all the time a person is different then how one would truly think as opposed to being clean and thinking free of chemicals. When I was high I was totally selfish and for normal things that one would feel in certain situations I was not feeling a thing. My mind would create an exit and I would be emotionally numb. That emotionally numb for me was a survival technique. For example, if I was arrested I would think of a way to avoid the situation and continue the behavior but be smarter by way of experience. In addition to this effect of not feeling a thing I postponed my emotional as well as social behavior growth. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t destined to quit smoking from the get go, it took a while for me to understand the dead end that I was headed to. Till this day I still believe I can do more using marijuana weekly, however it will only be a half assed job. For me, the drug messed with my potential of being the great person that I am. In my life I believe I am here to help others, reason being I believe every single person is great and meant or created to do something great it just takes that person to realize their importance. Many people in the world today don’t ever come to their realizations. Upsetting, yes, can we or anyone else help stop that? I truly believe so.

What was the solution?

Not one single factor helped me find a better way of life. Mainly growing out of my old habits and realizing I was worth better, but that’s more of a thinking process. Another large factor was even before I thought of quitting smoking I began to drastically change my thinking. I began positive thinking. An example would be that instead of holding resentments towards people, forgive them and if possible let them know of my forgiving. Or I would avoid those whom I had forgiven that had trespassed against me. Eventually I understood my own wrongs and decided I needed help to quit. I needed outside help due to my history of drug and alcohol outpatient treatment that I either faked and manipulated passing or just straight failed because I was still using when I was specifically told not to. So I went to Sundown M. Ranch in eastern Washington, an intense inpatient drug and alcohol treatment facility. There I learned tons of information about myself and my disease. This helped improve my knowledge of a true positive attitude and truly opened my once one track way of thinking. Positive energy activates constant elevation. Peace.