I am a 29-year-old Native American male from the Red Lake Reservation. I like most Native men and women was raised in a rough environment where drug and alcohol use was pretty common. My mother being a single parent moved me and my brothers around pretty frequently. Different schools, different locations. While this was going on I got to witness a variety of different things legal and illegal. Upon doing this, I drank my first beer at age 7, of course stealing from my mother and her friends. This started it all. I didn’t quite enjoy the feeling but liked the rush from it. This continues for the next 20 years. Not so much drinking but heavy drug use. My drugs of choice were marijuana, pills, cocaine, crack, heroin, and meth.
In my 27th year of life, I made a decision to better my life and quit using drugs. I realized quickly that was easier said than done. I had a few failed attempts at getting sober on my own. I then realize that I had to get over my pride and check into treatment. I called a good friend of mine in the recovery circle and had him set up a Rule 25 which landed me at Juel Fairbanks. I really enjoyed Juel Fairbanks for the simple fact that it was Native based. I quickly jumped head first into my recovery with tons of help from staff and peers at the facility. I am still in recovery today.