"I have little brothers and sisters that currently don't have a dad so I feel like if I work on myself and get better for myself I can be a better role model and support for my family back home.' " - Mitchell

Ben and I are chatting with Mitchell, who is 21 and has been in treatment five times because of his previous cocaine addiction. He started his addiction at 16, with college friends smoking weed mixed with cocaine. Then, he had two knee surgeries as a result of football injuries at age 17 and was hooked on Percocet. Not only was he addicted, but he also sold his prescription to other friends.

He admits that early on, during his addiction, "I lost a lot of really good friends, and I lost a perfect girl at that time." Mitchell's mother was monitoring his medication and realized he was taking too many drugs and decided to stop giving him his medicine. At that time, Mitchell decided to go into treatment for juveniles at age 17 for one year.

After his time in rehab, Mitchell returned home to live with his parents. He soon became, "caught in the wrong crowd, started fighting, stealing and not living the life that I should've been. It was really hard."

At 19, he had to get another surgery, let his friends persuade him to take narcotic pain medications. From this point, he went back to cocaine, then switched to Xanax, and tried a multitude of other drugs. At 20, he went to detox again in Miami. Since then, he has been bouncing back and forth between centers without success until he came to Rock Recovery Center.

He understands how peer pressure really pulls him down in a negative cycle. Mitchell knows he has to work on himself and have more self-control with his emotions. His family has a big part in gaining his sobriety. Dad is currently in prison, he loves his dad and feels that he has to help himself before he can help his dad. Even though his dad is in a tough situation, Mitchell understands that he needs to become clean so his dad won't be disappointed in him.

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Show Notes:

• [03:58] Mitchell introduces himself and starts with his story of addiction at age 16.
• [06:20] How he played the healthcare system to get more opioid drugs.
• [09:34] What elements made Mitchell become unstable in recovery?
• [10:30] How he is influenced by females and why he wants to break this habit.
• [12:56] Ben talks about his experiences with previous relapses.
• [15:48] Pitfalls that have given Mitchell huge obstacles for his sobriety.
• [19:18] What things Mitchell can't go without during his sobriety.
• [21:45] Going to treatment to go back and contribute to your family's health.
• [25:03] Mitchell's plans and goals moving forward.
• [28:20] Mentors and people to look up to during treatment.
• [30:48] Priorities with relationships - make sure you are going in the right direction.

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