Jim's Story

Hi, my name is Jim and I’m an alcoholic.

I came to the Bryan Independence Center for the third time, lonely, tired, drunk and out of options. I was 51 years old and I’d been using drugs and alcohol since I was 13. My life had become a continuous battle to keep up with what I thought were the incredible responsibilities and demands that came with a normal life and still find the time and resources necessary to continue my daily drinking. The constant lying and deception to my wife, family and coworkers was destroying my soul and living a “double life’’ was living no life at all. The only one that ever got to see the “true me” was me, and I didn’t like what I saw. So I made the decision to check myself into the Bryan Independence Center. That was the last decision I made on my own for a long time, and probably the best one of my life. Right from the beginning, the staff was friendly, respectful, and supportive. During the several days I spent in detox, the nursing staff and techs were caring and attentive to my condition. They made the process as comfortable as possible.

Once I began the Independence Center’s recovery program I was presented with lectures, group discussions and provided an opportunity to attend many different AA and NA meetings. I had a meeting with my counselor once a week and she assigned me “homework” to do during my free time. With all that and three good meals a day, I was very busy. The people that I was in treatment with were fantastic. We had many heartfelt talks together about our past lives and what we thought sobriety would be like in our future. Some of the people I met at the Independence Center while I was an inpatient are still great friends. I was constantly challenged to consider new ideas. New ways of thinking about life and about myself. I threw myself into the curriculum and studied the material given to me as much as possible. I asked a lot of questions from the counselors, the techs, my peers, and I got a lot of answers.

When I left inpatient treatment, I felt anxious about rejoining the “real world” but confident that I had the tools and techniques to stay sober. I continued on with partial care and then met with a counselor a couple more times before we decided that I had learned all I could from the program. Soon I will be celebrating four years of freedom from my addiction to drugs and alcohol. My life now is amazing. I have an incredible group of sober friends that I care deeply for and truly care about me. I attend AA meetings regularly, I have a good job, and new interests that I never would have been able to pursue while drinking and drugging. Life still has its ups and downs, but the crushing weight of the world doesn’t seem to be as heavy any more now that I have the fellowship and the steps to help me bear the load.

The Independence Center gave me the start I needed, teaching me how to live a happy life without drugs or booze and showing incredible compassion, caring, respect, and love for me and everyone they came in contact with. Thank you all at Bryan West Campus and the Bryan Independence Center for not only saving my, and many other lives, but making them worth living again.