Client Highlight: Zach S.
This week I bring you the story of Zach, a loving soul whose determination has significantly changed his life. From depressed and drinking to a healthy glow, here’s his journey.
Can you describe the moment when you realized you wanted to start your journey of recovery?
“I realized that my active addiction was kind of influencing my mental health in a very negative way. I was becoming very depressed and just overall my quality of life was going down so I knew that something had to change otherwise I was going to be stuck in that mental state with no way out. I had to find something to bring light back into my life and I knew that through therapy and just getting out of that hole I was in was the only way. My mental health just took a turn for the worst and something needed to change and that I realized was getting help for my drinking. “
What have been some of the most significant challenges you’ve encountered and how have you handled them along the way?
“I would say the biggest challenge was losing a lot of friendships that I had grown over the years, you know my ‘drinking buddies’ in a sense. I’m a very social person so giving that up at first was really hard, but then I started to realize that I could still have a social life and that a lot of those people weren't truly my friends. You know, losing contact with those people still kind of sucks, it never really goes away, I miss those people a lot but I've made a lot more better friendships I'd say, more quality friendships with people who really do care about me. Another big challenge was the sense of giving up what I thought was fun. It was like that was the only fun I was having in my life, it was what I looked forward to every day after work so at first it was like ‘My life is going to be so boring now, I'm not going to have that excitement anymore”. After about 6 months I realized that I really enjoy my time to myself and spending time at home. I still can have fun doing other things. It opened up a whole new part of the day where I can do stuff in the morning like go get coffee, go to the gym. It’s like a whole new life has become available for me.”
What Driftless Recovery services have you/do you participate in? What have you found helpful?
“I have therapy with BethAnn, I've done Relapse Prevention, and a little bit of Dual Diagnosis group. I would say just therapy in general was something I didn't realize I truly needed, not even for the addiction itself, but just my mental health. My time here with BethAnn has been extremely helpful in the sense that it's helped me realize how strong I am and how I can really overcome anything if I put my mind to it.”
What are some milestones or achievements you feel proud of?
“Obviously being sober, that's a big one. Looking back, I can't imagine doing that to myself again. My physical health has grown immensely since I've stopped drinking, I feel like I never really took care of myself mentally or physically. I was not even close to being physically fit and now that I've found the gym and go four days a week, I'm healthy again. Everything's easier: working 10-hour shifts a day I don't even bat an eye, I don't feel it in my feet, I don't get tired anymore in my back. I'm just happier with the way I look too, that's a huge confidence booster. So I’d say the biggest milestone has probably been being sober and taking back control over my mental and physical health.”
“Another milestone that’s important to me is reconnecting and rekindling the relationship with my family. Having more time with them and being more present for them cuz I know how important that is to them too and it means the world seeing them happy.”
What have you learned about yourself during your time in services?
“A lot to say the least! I used to think that my self-confidence was horrible and I used to think that I wasn't strong enough to do any of this. I've really come to terms with the fact that I am a very strong person. Therapy gave me back the sense that I am strong and that I am caring. I have so much more to give to other people. I'd say I found myself again in a sense and I have the energy to share that now too.
What plans/goals do you have for yourself moving forward?
Moving forward, you know ‘one day at a time’ like they always say. Each day is a constant reminder to keep pushing. Building the best version of myself is my long-term goal. I just want to keep building myself up and as I get further down this road of recovery I want to share that with other people. A goal that I really have is to try to help other people do the same and start loving themselves again. I really like helping people, so a long-term goal is that I would really really like to share my knowledge and find a way to be able to help other people find their worth again, start loving themselves again, and realizing that it's hard but the benefits you get from it just overpass any struggles that you've had.”
Zach’s final message for the readers:
“I would say take it a day at a time and just know that it is worth it and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s going to be hard but the benefits outweigh all the challenges every time. And be proud of yourself. Everyone's different, everyone's road to recovery is different and your little wins may not seem like a lot but in the long run they add up and they turn you into the person you want to be so just keep pushing and you know the light at the end of the tunnel is there and it is achievable.”
