Just for Today

" Just for Today " offers 365 days of powerful reflections of a parent's unwavering love and unyielding hope in the face of her child's battle with drug addiction.

People can and do recover

May 10, 2008, my son and I had a horrible fight, I was at my enough, I didn’t want to live in dysfunction anymore so I gave my son an ultimatum, get into treatment or find someplace else to live. He decided to seek help, he made arrangements to go into treatment on May 11, 2008 (it was Mother’s Day). 

Years later I found out that my son attempted to take his life the night before he was to leave for treatment. He left a suicide note and by the grace of God, I knew nothing about this because he survived his attempt. When he woke, he knew in that moment that he had to try one more time to release himself from the bondage of his addiction.

I would like to share with you what my son wrote on his nine year birthday in recovery on May 11, 2017:

" Nine years clean and sober today! I am blessed beyond words can even express. One day at a time, my greatest adversity has truly turned out to be my greatest asset and provided thousands of opportunities.

A life once lead filled with selfishness and self centeredness ruled by fear and resentment has truly been transformed through living a spiritually principled centered life. I am not the man I once was, in fact it doesn't even make sense to me as to how I have traveled from where I once was, to where I currently am. God is good and He has done for me what I could not do for myself. The foundational principle of my story has been this, show up and do more for others than I do for myself. I try to live this out and impact the lives of others through kindness, consideration, appreciation, coaching, being present and transmitting hope through experience. I have been blessed to help thousands and it has been my greatest gift to watch people that I have helped. To watch them grow and change their lives and start to thrive in recovery. I hope to help millions more through inspiration, hope, love, influence, motivation and encouragement. Change your habits and change your life. This is true for me and millions of others that get the gift of one day at a time in recovery. Give more than you take and you shall receive more than you give. Like and share this post, show others that we do recover. My story is like millions of Americans out there. Riddled with heroin addiction and alcoholism, utterly hopeless. We do recover, there is hope.

I am now employable, have a great job, I am an entrepreneur, own a home and buying investment property, baby on the way, I vote, pay taxes, contribute to the community and most importantly I spread love and positive energy through living a purposeful life full of passion, happiness and joy. There is hope. Hope through habits. My actions and habits changed and I changed. The ripple effect of one person living in recovery is so massive!!! We affect the lives of so many people! Feeling very grateful on this may 11th 2017” - Peter Jr.

My son’s journey of addiction was one of the most difficult things that I had to endure in my life thus far. His addiction brought me to my knees, the fear of losing him to an accidental over dose put me in bed for months in the fetal position when nobody was looking. My days in bed, I could feel my heart breaking and there were days that I thought that I would lose my mind. I became as sick as my secret but in time; I got up, I got dressed and I fought like hell for him. I became addicted to saving him and he became my drug of choice.

My son’s addiction changed him in so many beautiful ways and it changed me as well. I would do that journey all over again to have the results that we have today, because as a family we have restored our sanity, our health, our relationship and found our serenity. My son is an amazing example that people can and do recover.