A Library Benefits

Carlton has been a big influence in my life because he taught me how to live one day at a time without the use of a drink or drug, how to apply the twelve steps of recovery in my life, and how to change my addictive behaviors. In United States of America, the root cause for 25% of the total deaths can be attributed to drug abuse. I am grateful that I was not one of them. Using drugs and alcohol was fun for me in the beginning. At a very young age, I can remember my friends and me going behind Parker Gray Middle School to smoke cigarettes, marijuana, and drink alcohol. I always thought that the activities that I was involved in were fun. In retrospect, I realized that participating in these activities was due to peer pressure. Carlton has taught me how to lead my life in a successful way without incorporating alcohol and drugs. I met Carlton at the Alexandria Detox, which is where my drug and alcohol recovery began. I had struggled with using mood altering drugs and alcohol for many years. Carlton shared his experience, strength, and hope with me. He drove me over to the District of Columbia, where he started his addiction. Carlton shared with me how he used intravenous drugs and alcohol on a daily basis from the age of seventeen up until he was introduced to narcotics anonymous twenty six years ago. Along with being taught how to live without alcohol and drugs, Carlton also helped me apply the 12 steps of recovery into my life. These steps also taught me that I was powerless, I could be restored from sanity and I could make a decision to turn my life over. In step four, it talks about how I could discover my liabilities. The steps also allowed me to put my ego down and deal with humility, which caused me to change my addictive behavior. Finally, I learned how to change my addictive behavior. In changing my addictive behavior, I had to change my surroundings, friends, and the things that I participated in. I started going