(Solemn piano music)
Treatment with medication has helped countless West Virginians struggling with opioid use disorder get back to life. 

(John sitting and telling his story)
I've been struggling with addiction for quite some time. I worked in the steel fabrication field, and building mining equipment, and whatnot, and I've injured myself quite a few times, and become addicted to opioids. I went to the same doctor for like seven years, and I can't blame the doctor for everything, but he started me out on hydrocodone, 10 milligrams, four a day, and I did that for like six years. He said, "Well, let's try this," and he upped me from from four 10 milligrams of hydrocodone to four 30 milligram oxycodone, which I was already addicted to the hydrocodone. So he got in trouble, and lost his license. I went to him one day and he said, "I can't write you any more pain medicine." And two days later I had checked myself into detox. I was so sick, and it was a bad ordeal.
I left there seven days later just as sick, as when I got there, I was miserable, and I'd come home, about another 20 days, I'm so sick. and I mean it's like having your hand in a vice, nothing is going to help. And I had to go back to the drug, buy it on the street. And I got to the point, like I said, I didn't want to live, man. Every day I was looking at the shotgun. 

(Video of shotgun and John in his home)
I wanted to kill myself, and I was getting absolutely afraid of myself. I done got tired of being sick, tired of going through the lifestyle of depriving my family. I've lost everything. I never was a criminal, went out here and robbed people, but I robbed my family. I deprived myself.

(Video of shotgun and gun shells)
I used to have a gun collection that would probably fill this room we're sitting in, and I'm down to one shotgun, and I was going to use that shotgun on myself.

(John telling his story)
Being in his program, all that went away. And this is the truth. If I wouldn't have got the answer on the other side of the phone, I wouldn't be sitting here today. And when I called and talked to this lady that works there, her name is Lois, just the conversation over the phone when I first talked to her, she was saying things to me about this program, about the help here, and the respect I was getting. I just gave up hope, man. In this program, like I said, I've been in other programs, but none like this program that actually really wants to help you. And it's given me hope to be the person I would like to be, 

(John in therapy session)
instead of the person that I have been through my addiction, and I could be a husband, a dad, a provider, a grandpa, which I have a great family.

(Photos of John's family)
Before I couldn't do none of that stuff. I couldn't be a dad. I couldn't be a husband. I couldn't be a grandpa. I couldn't put food on the table and pay my bills, just live, man. 

(John in his kitchen washing dishes)
Everyday things, your car breaks down, your car is going to stay broke down. It's a whole life change, man. Everything is better. Addiction takes everything from you, and suboxone gives it all back to you. 

(Photos of John's family)
Next Tuesday, I'll have 91 days sobriety, never have I ever had sobriety like that in my life. I'm just glad to be alive today, and I know suboxone is the reason I'm alive. 

(John reading his Bible in his living room)
Faith has a lot to do with my recovery. It has a lot to do with it, because it's helped me in every aspect. I thank God that I do have relationship with Jesus, and that's a big thing a lot of people don't have enough. I can be a dad, a husband, and grandpa. I can be alive.

Back to Life 
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