If you have young children, early teens and/or young adults, I would HIGHLY suggest that when you finish reading this week’s column, you pass it on for them to read.  For any new readers, I’m an addict/alcoholic in recovery for just over three years now.  I was ripping and roaring from the young age of thirteen years old until I was twenty-seven years old.  I’ve had more arrests and more legal cases against me than most people my age, almost all a direct result of my addiction.  Please do not mistake this for bragging or boasting; it’s the exact opposite.  I’m just trying to help someone from making the same poor decisions that I made while caught in the grips of addiction.

Gratitude is a phenomenon defined by Webster’s Dictionary as, “the quality of being thankful.”  The American Psychological Association (APA) further defines the phenomenon of gratitude as, “a sense of happiness and thankfulness in response to a fortunate happenstance or tangible gift.”  One can experience gratitude for someone or something at a certain moment in time or one may experience gratitude more long-term as a positive character trait.

Addiction took a lot from me, and it took a lot out of me.  I was robbed of very simple things that I often overlooked or forgot about during my active addiction.  Sobriety, on the other hand, has granted me many of these gifts back (and more), but not without me putting in some good, honest work to change myself.

I’ve faced consequences my entire life, but it wasn’t until the consequences of my actions became so severe that I finally became open and willing to the idea of changing my ways. As a child growing up, my parents always punished me when they felt it was needed and I absolutely HATED it. I thought I had the strictest, most unfair parents in the entire world when actually they weren’t that bad (hindsight is 20/20). I would get so angry when there were consequences to my actions and this would become a common theme in my life for years to follow; BOO-HOO POOR ME, THE ENTIRE WORLD IS AGAINST ME, etc.

A craving is a desire to use alcohol and/or drugs and can be experienced as thoughts/ memories, and/or physical sensations (sweaty palms, pounding heart, upset stomach). The intensity of cravings varies; they can be extremely mild, extremely strong, or anywhere in between. An average craving only lasts for about fifteen/twenty minutes so if you don’t act on it, it will eventually pass! I like to think of cravings as ocean waves because they come and go, some stronger than others.

I remember my bottom very well. I’m terrified at even the thought of going back. With that being said, I am also extremely grateful for my rock-bottom and the way it helped “break” me down (physically, emotionally, and spiritually) to a place where I was finally willing to put in the honest work that’s required to achieve long-term sobriety. Like many other addicts, my rock-bottom saved my life.

I remember sitting in the first group of my first rehab, fresh off a BRUTAL seven-day detox, and some other patients kept making references to “rock-bottom.” At the time, I didn’t think much of it. As I spent more time in that rehab, I learned that “rock-bottom” is a concept used to refer to an addicts’ lowest point in their addiction.

There is no set “blueprint” that can be used for helping all addicts/alcoholics successfully achieve long-term recovery from their addictions. Recovery is unique to the individual; it differs on a case-by-case basis. In this week’s column, I’d like to focus on two different pathways to recovery: clinical pathways and non-clinical pathways.

My name is Kyle Borisewich, I’m thirty-two years old and have been a lifelong resident of Goshen, New York. I have struggled with substance abuse disorder since the age of fourteen years old. I made a lot of poor choices during my addiction… and I mean A LOT. I’ve hit rock bottom more times than I can count. My journey is one filled with anger, disappointment, depression, lies, deceit, relapse, and pain.