Choices

I have been clean and sober and cigarette–free for twenty–four years. I began using alcohol, marijuana, and smoking cigarettes at age fifteen. By the time I turned thirty, I was, in my own opinion, an alcoholic. In the last years of my addictions, I tried crack cocaine when I was around thirty–five. I was heading rapidly to the very bottom afterward. Of course, I smoked cigarettes for years. I tried many times and many ways to quit being addicted. My story includes the path my life unfolded. I prayed with the little faith I could muster. I tried the traditional methods of drug and alcohol treatment centers and the 12–step program. None worked for me. I also know that a lot of addicts experience similar outcomes. I landed myself in prison a couple of times. The first time should have been a wake–up call, but it was not. I failed to learn and grow from that experience. The second time, a couple of years later, I would finally be exposed to a force strong enough and at least as powerful enough to gain my attention. This force was my second time in prison due to my third operating while intoxicated charge (driving under the influence). I was sentenced to five years. The prison system released me after five and a half months, followed by four and a half months of mandatory work release supervision at the halfway house. My time in prison was so unpleasant. It caused me to suffer through the withdrawals of alcohol, crack, and cigarettes simultaneously. I also had to adapt to a life of incarceration. I had no say about most everything. I worked in the kitchen washing dishes, which oddly enough gave me something to look forward to. Here is my story. I have been completely sober from alcohol, crack, and cigarettes since December 5, 1999, the day I was sentenced and taken to jail to await transportation to prison. I hope you choose to read this essay for yourself or for a family member or friend.

-- Odell Stigler