{"id":13760,"date":"2019-03-04T12:44:10","date_gmt":"2019-03-04T17:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/5badbfa87a.nxcli.io\/pease\/?p=13760"},"modified":"2019-03-04T12:44:10","modified_gmt":"2019-03-04T17:44:10","slug":"sobering-stories-joe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mtcs.org\/pease\/sobering-stories-joe\/","title":{"rendered":"Sobering Stories: Joe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Joe \u2013 P.E.A.S.E. Academy Senior<\/strong><\/p>\n

Joe was 9-years-old when he started smoking marijuana, cigarettes and drinking alcohol, driven by a desire to ease the pain and sadness of his life. \u201cI wanted to feel the joy I felt when I was four or five years old. I felt truly happy on weed, and alcohol numbed my trauma and made me feel nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growing up with an alcoholic mom wasn\u2019t easy. She repeatedly mixed drinking with driving, while Joe and his half-siblings were in the car and Joe remembers that she was always drunk. She was also in and out of prison. The first time his mother was sentenced, the kids went to live with Joe\u2019s dad, who was overwhelmed by caring for three children in a small apartment and he became verbally and physically abusive. Joe\u2019s mom was released from prison and took Joe and his brother and sister back part-time, but the drinking continued. She was sentenced again, and this time she took her children to live with their grandmother in South Dakota, without Joe\u2019s dad\u2019s knowledge.<\/p>\n

On the reservation where his grandma lived in South Dakota, Joe was introduced to more drugs by his brother and sister\u2019s biological dad, who was an addict. He eventually moved back to Minnesota with his dad, which was safer, but sad, driving him to the liquor cabinet and more drinking. Joe says, \u201cI had lost my entire childhood and my brother and sister.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the time Joe entered 7th grade, he had pretty much given up. He was getting D\u2019s and F\u2019s in school, had bad personal hygiene, and was bullied by students. He hadn\u2019t seen his mom in years and was feeling down. His dad pushed him to improve, and his relationship with his dad was better, so he stopped drinking and smoking weed. Joe said, \u201cI knew it was wrong and didn\u2019t want my family to be disappointed in me.\u201d At this point, he redirected his addition from marijuana and alcohol to video games and food.<\/p>\n

When Joe got to high school, he didn\u2019t care about anything. He had gained weight, and he missed drugs, so he started drinking again, bought weed and got high before and after school. He cut himself off from friends who didn\u2019t want to do drugs. \u201cI was a stoner in 10th and 11th grade and finally got caught smoking weed in school and was referred for a chemical assessment at Hazelden, said Joe. \u201cI lied through it and was recommended to outpatient care. I was never willing to get sober, but I was forced into treatment and relapsed. The worst thing was, I was drinking and driving, like my mom.\u201d That was the turning point. Feeling miserable and ashamed, Joe began his road to recovery. Knowing how hard it was to go back to regular high school, he entered P.E.A.S.E. Academy, where he found support. \u201cI love P.E.A.S.E. because I can count on the people here,\u201d says Joe. We\u2019ve all done our drugs, we\u2019re in recovery, and relating on a deeper level. We are building deep relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Joe has a great relationship with his half-brother and sister, and his dad, who he has loved throughout their struggles. He\u2019s also happy to have three nephews. He plans to attend Minneapolis Community Technical College and then head to college to become a licensed alcohol and drug counselor (LADC). \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>

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