Name: Lewis Addiction: Alcohol, opiates, and cocaine Program: Residential Inpatient Facility: Hill Country, Wimberley TX “I am sober today because I’ve had a spiritual experience,” says Lewis, a graduate of The Right Step inpatient addiction treatment. Lewis is coming up on his third anniversary of sobriety— in fact, it’s this Thursday, March 15. He generously agrees to share his The Right Step experience with the public. Before Treatment Lewis played baseball in college. In fact, he played first base at a school which was a member of the National Collegiate Athletics Association. “Baseball was where I got all my self-confidence, self-worth, and my identity,” Lewis reveals. After graduating, his playing days ended and he began to coach; soon after his abuse of drugs and alcohol turned into a dependency. Lewis says that living while dependent on chemicals took him “to a very dark place of depression and self-hatred.” It took a car wreck to bring him out of this place, for him to decide to seek help for his addictions. “They were making me miserable, but I had crossed the point of no return and could not quit on a non-spiritual basis. I knew that there were people happy out there in the world, and I wanted to be one of those people.” While Lewis detoxified his body at another facility, his parents spoke to counselors in the area, who suggested the inpatient program at The Right Step. Lewis selected the Hill Country location in Wimberley, Texas. “Since [I was] a kid, the Texas Hill Country has been one of my favorite places to visit,” Lewis explains. During Treatment As an inpatient at The Right Step, Lewis participated in the Structured Program Track, based on principles of the The Twelve Step Program. The program includes group and individual counseling, a focus on spiritual awareness, educational classes, and recreational activities that include softball, as well as basketball, yoga, meditation, and group outings. Lewis was classified as a polysubstance addict, because he was dependent on multiple chemicals. Lewis successfully completed the program and is looking forward to celebrating his third year of sobriety this Thursday. After Treatment Lewis’ experience at The Right Step inspired him not only to move forward with his life sober, but also to become a chemical dependency counselor. After his two-year sobriety anniversary, he became eligible to work at The Right Step and became a Recovery Advocate. He still works there now, while also taking classes to become a chemical dependency counselor and help even more people through their addictions. “The Twelve Steps help me to keep my will in line with God’s will, and I use my experiences to help others, to quiet their demons.” To the families and loved ones of addicts, Lewis advises that they take advantage of local Alcoholics Anonymous support groups. “If you [suspect] they have a problem, more than likely they do and it’s 10 times worse than you think. Get them help, and get some therapy for yourself.” As for the addicts themselves: “There is a solution, and you don’t have to live this way anymore.” Remember: Referring Someone in Need is a Gift of Compassion. For more information on admission to The Right Step, please click here. Alumni, please contact Leslie at (713)933-0667 for information on our alumni program or to share your The Right Step experience for our blog. We also encourage alumni to share their thoughts by providing reviews of their The Right Step location on Google.
