30 lbs in 30 days

Picture taken: July 4th, 2010

10 days sober

Lost 30 pounds in the last 30 days of my using. Guess that’s what happens when the bodies primary fuel sources are booze and uppers. Life had been a spiraling whirlwind of chaos that landed me back in handcuffs, and released 10 days prior to this picture.

I don’t wish that feeling of early sobriety on my worst enemy. The feelings of hopelessness, guilt and shame are constant. The thoughts of using are being battled with by the hour. The body is flushing out excess toxins from obsessive use of drugs and alcohol. The world is a scary place at this point. The only thing keeping us going is the faith that it truly does get better.

So grateful for the men and women in recovery, their support saved me from going back out. I was staying on a friends couch, had no money to my name and was looking at jail time again... But I was sober. And in that moment, that’s all that mattered. Because with every 24 hours of sobriety that passed my life got a little bit better, a little more productive and a little more manageable.

I’m extremely grateful for the people in recovery that were there for me, they got me through the hardships of early sobriety. Those struggles and hardships in turn leading me to grow as an individual, and allowing me to build this amazing life I get to live today!