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“What alcohol was doing for me outlaid what it was doing to me.” --Tom Today, Ben and I are talking to Tom, who works in the recovery field. Born and raised in downtown Manhattan, he became a drug dealer and eventually became sober from drugs and alcohol. He has been on the road to recovery for the past seven years. Starting the Drinking Habit at Age 10 Born and raised in New York City, Tom grew up in abusive family life, reflected in his poor behavior at school. Feeling like something was missing in his life, he discovered that alcohol filled that void at 10. From the beginning, Tom drank too much and didn’t know how to stop drinking as he was trying to impress the older adults who surrounded him. He was so obsessed with drinking and doing drugs that he had to stay an extra year in high school to finish up the credits that he missed from his addiction during the school year. Falling into Becoming a Drug Dealer Since many of his friends ended up selling weed in high school, Tom decided to go the same route as college wasn’t even on his radar. “I had a big retail business with guys delivering for me. I was a career pot dealer.” Although he knew he was living a lie as a drug dealer, the thought of becoming clean was scary because Tom realized if he left dealing drugs and his lifestyle that he would have to grow up and become responsible. Check out our website where you can download episodes with helpful information for those in recovery and their families. Share this podcast with a friend and leave us a review! Show Notes: [02:05] Tom’s early years and how he became addicted to alcohol. [04:22] How New York and growing up in a fast-paced environment impacted Tom’s addiction. [10:32] His circle of friends in high school was drug dealers selling weed. [14:00] The thought of getting sober was scary for Tom because he realized he would need to grow up. [16:55] The first time he decided to stop being an addict was on 9-11. [18:33] Discovering opiate drugs and how Tom thought he would be OK with opiates. [21:44] Adding cocaine to his alcohol and opiate drug addiction. [26:29] First time Tom experience hope in his life to get off of drugs and alcohol. [35:14] The point at which Tom stopped making excuses in his life. [40:16] Surrendering and how this affected his healing journey to recovering. Episode Links and Resources Real Recovery Live Chat Real Recovery Talk on the Web Real Recovery Talk on YouTube Leave Real Recovery Talk a review on iTunes Rock Recovery Center Real Recovery Talk on Facebook Find out more about Al-Anon and how this resource can support your family Ideas for a show? Email us tom@realrecoverytalk.com and ben@realrecoverytalk.com Podcast editing and show notes by Pro Podcast Solutions