At Waterside Recovery Centers, we believe that fostering a healthy and supportive alumni community helps those currently in our intensive outpatient program, but also our graduated and alumni. As part of our program, alumni often come in to share their experience. Below, is an anonymous story from someone in our community. They share their struggles with opiate addiction, experience in opiate addiction treatment, and now lasting sobriety. This story is slightly edited to protect the anonymity of our community.

Recovering from Opiate Addiction: An Opiate Addict’s Story

I never thought I would become addicted to opiates. I grew up in a normal home, had friends, and did well enough in school. But addiction doesn’t care where you come from. It doesn’t care how much potential you have. Opiate addiction slowly took over my life, and before I knew it, I was in a place I never imagined I’d be.

The Beginning of a Downward Spiral

I started smoking marijuana as a freshman in high school. At the time, it didn’t seem like a big deal. It was just something my friends and I did on the weekends. I wasn’t failing school, I wasn’t getting into trouble—so what was the harm?

By my junior year, I tried my first Percocet. Someone at a party handed it to me and said it would make me feel amazing. They weren’t lying. The feeling was warm, comforting, and unlike anything I had ever experienced. It felt like a hug from the inside out. That one pill turned into a habit. At first, I was only using on weekends. Then, it became an everyday thing. Before long, I wasn’t just taking one—I needed more to feel the same high. At first, I truly never even considered that this was a problem.

Signs of Opiate Addiction

Looking back, the signs of opiate addiction were obvious. I was always tired, missing school, and making excuses. I stopped caring about my grades, lost interest in sports, and started lying to my family. But I couldn’t stop. My body craved the pills, and if I didn’t have them, I felt sick—sweating, shaking, aching all over. I told myself I wasn’t addicted. I was in control.

By the time I was 20, I wasn’t just taking pills anymore. They were too expensive, and I needed something stronger. That’s when I started using heroin and fentanyl. At first, I sniffed it. But soon, that wasn’t enough either. I turned to the needle. That was when everything in my life truly fell apart. I could not believe where my life had gone. I did not speak with my old friend. I looked different. I felt different. I was different.

The Reality of Being Addicted to Opiates

Heroin took everything from me. I lost my job, my car, my friends. My family didn’t know what to do with me anymore. I stole from them, lied to them, and pushed them away. I was arrested more than once. I overdosed. I woke up in places I didn’t recognize. I knew I needed help, but the thought of living without opiates terrified me.

I went to opiate addiction treatment more than once. Each time, I swore I would stay clean. Each time, I relapsed. I felt hopeless. I knew that I was not the only one suffering from opiate addiction in Massachusetts, but it felt that way.

Finding Real Recovery

Something changed the last time I went to treatment. I attended an opiate addiction treatment program in Plymouth, MA. Maybe it was because I had nothing left to lose. Maybe I was just tired of the cycle. But this time, I listened. I opened up in therapy. I admitted I needed help. I finally faced the pain I had been running from for years.

I learned that opiate addiction treatment isn’t just about quitting drugs. It’s about healing. I worked with therapists, attended group meetings, and started understanding why I used in the first place. I had to rebuild my life from the ground up. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.

Seven Years Sober

I have been sober for seven years now. Some days are still hard. But I can tell you this—life after opiate addiction is worth it. Today, I wake up with purpose. I have real relationships with my family. I have a job I love. I can finally look in the mirror and be proud of the person staring back at me.

If you’re struggling with opiate addiction, know this: You are not alone. There is help. There is hope. And if I can do it, so can you.