Sam first noticed that he struggled with anxiety around the age of ten, but “didn’t really know what or how [he] was feeling.”

An athlete who enjoyed sports and always performed well in school, Sam says he felt “like a pretty normal kid growing up.” Sam’s real challenges came as he got older and reached high school. “In my head, I worried and had a lot of anxiety,” describes Sam.

In the summer before high school, Sam began experimenting with drugs and alcohol. “I really struggled with who I was and my identity,” he said. “Smoking pot was something that helped me meet people and it became my identity.” It did not take long before Sam was abusing marijuana on a very regular basis.

Sam would successfully graduate from high school, and performed very well academically. He would go on to enroll at Boston University. Around this time, Sam’s drug use expanded to include more substances. “I was uncomfortable and I didn’t know what to do with myself,” said Sam. While at school, Sam struggles culminated in a “mental breakdown”, which resulted in a leave of absence from the university.

Sam arrived back home and not much changed. “I was stuck with who I was and I had no aspirations,” Sam said. Sam’s parents took notice of this, and eventually decided to enroll him in a wilderness program, where he put together a couple months of sobriety. Sam completed the program and returned home. “When I got home, I was introduced to heroin and things immediately got worse,” he said. “I was so ashamed of what I was doing and I wanted to stop but I couldn’t.”

Sam eventually reached out to his Mom for help, and she got him into a medical detox, followed up by a 28-day program. “I thought I was doing 7 days and going back home,” he said. Following the 28-day program, Sam agreed to continue his treatment at Turnbridge.

Upon arrival, Sam called home stating he “didn’t want to go through meeting people again” as his anxiety began to rear its head. Slowly but surely, after taking the suggestions of those around him at Turnbridge, Sam began to feel more comfortable and “started realizing that I needed to relax and take some time to work on myself.”

“It was very hard for me to do the small things,” said Sam. Sam started to face his fears and began to work through them, not around them. “I started dealing with not feeling comfortable,” he said. “Once I start doing things during the day and being productive, I feel much better about myself.”

When Sam arrived to Phase III, he got a job and got back into school. “I was so glad to get back into school,” said Sam. “I am not as anxious as I once was, and I am aware of what it is. I am grateful for this program and the guys around me. I am doing so much better and I feel like I have got the rhythm.”

As a child, Steve explains how he “got everything he ever needed and was a part of a very loving family.”

As a he got older, Steve found a passion for wrestling and other sports, and was a very bright young man. “I wouldn’t say I was the popular kid, but I could fit in with any crowd,” said Steve. He describes himself, at this young age, as “straight-edge” and never had any interest in drinking or using any substances.

Throughout high school, Steve was very focused on his health. He was an active gym member and an accomplished wrestler. “I think what really kept me away from drinking and getting high was the fear of what it could do,” he said. During these years, Steve struggled with acne and states “I had some serious trouble with insecurities because of it.” Steve also struggled with social anxiety and believes he was addicted to working out. Steve’s first substance use came when he was sixteen and he tried alcohol for the first time. “I had a really good time but didn’t think much of it.”

Steve graduated from high school and went on to attend college, away from a lot of his good friends who attended other schools. “I struggled a lot that first year,” said Steve. Steve was introduced to marijuana, and found an interest in it. “I quickly went from occasionally smoking to smoking every day.”

His life began to spiral downhill as the partying and drinking escalated. He began experimenting with a greater variety of substances. “I was lying and stealing from my work,” said Steve. “I was taking really big risks and getting a thrill out of it.”

Steve was trying to manage work as a bartender, hanging out with friends, and maintaining a relationship with a girlfriend. “I couldn’t give enough focus to my girlfriend because I wanted to drink, so she left me,” he said.

After a particularly heavy night of drinking, Steve’s mother confronted him and helped enroll him in an inpatient substance abuse treatment center. “I was sent to treatment with a bunch of guys who made fun of me because I didn’t do the same drugs as them,” said Steve. After a relapse in the program, he was sent back home and tried AA locally. “I didn’t really put in any effort and didn’t dive into the program.”

Steve soon began drinking again, and was fired from work for drinking on the job. “I was doing cocaine and drinking and it was causing serious turmoil,” Steve said.  He would go on to crash two cars due to his drinking, and spend his insurance reimbursement on drugs and alcohol. “I didn’t stop drinking for months before coming to Turnbridge,” he said.

After getting kicked out of the house, and fired from another job, Steve was pulled over for drinking and driving. “The officer didn’t arrest me and assisted me in getting to treatment and my mother picked me up and took me to Turnbridge,” he said.

“Within my first 10 hours of being at Turnbridge, I was playing flag football and was having a great time,” said Steve. “I had experienced powerlessness and was ready to change things up. I got back into things that I took pride in before drinking. I started working out again and playing the guitar and just hanging out with sober guys having fun. I took advice, took suggestions, got a sponsor and started working the steps.”

Steve states his Turnbridge experience “flew by” and it was “time well spent.” After continuing to put in hard work, build relationships, trying to do the right thing, and ask for help, Steve made a complete turnaround for the better. “I am so grateful for Turnbridge and everything they did for me.”

“Turnbridge really set me up with the opportunity to live a sober life and took me away from my old lifestyle for long enough to focus on my future,” Steve said. As a Phase III resident, Steve became a House Manager, got his degree, and continued to focus on his recovery. “When I got out, I felt like I had this new life in place and they helped me achieve this with a smooth transition back into society. I had support from the whole community. I think the biggest benefit of the length of the program is how long you’re away from the substances to find new hobbies and healthy habits. It feels like I have something to hold onto and don’t want to give it away.”