‘I have experienced that a life after addiction is possible’

…AND PLEASURABLE –

March 8, 2021 – The road to recovery

McCallum said he’s hopeful that his story can help people better understand the reality of overcoming substance addiction, and what they can do to help.

“My addiction started while in high school, changing the trajectory of my life,” McCallum said in an email. “I was a ‘straight A’ student in ninth grade and was very anti-drugs. I was raised as a Jehovah’s witness, and I was educated in school to the dangers of alcohol and other substances.”

He said it was around that time that many of his close friends began drinking and smoking.

“It looked fun, and they did not appear to have any negative consequences,” he said. “Soon, I began using these substances also. I quickly lost interest in attending school or studying, and I dropped out from Stevenson High School.”

That’s when he began to develop symptoms of anxiety and depression, which led him to see a doctor who prescribed narcotic medications. He was also prescribed opioid medications around the same time, after a dental procedure — his first introduction to opioids and the start of what would become a long-term dependence with many consequences.

McCallum’s recovery began shortly after he was accepted into a sobriety program at Warren’s 37th District Court, which included participation in a 12-step program, counseling and recovery coaching. He and his mother also began attending meetings of Families Against Narcotics, hearing the stories of other people with family members who were struggling with addiction.

“I understand now that addiction is a family disease, because the impact the disease has extends to the entire family,”…