Addiction to Opioids

Joe’s Story

This story was originally feauted on thetruth.com.
Joe was in his early 20s when he first took prescription opioids. He got in a serious car accident, landing him in the hospital, where doctors prescribed him OxyContin and morphine. His injuries took some time to heal, but his addiction to the pills stayed with him for years to come.

In order to get prescriptions for more pills, Joe repeatedly harmed himself, often taking extreme measures to feed his addiction. He went so far as to throw himself off a high, brick wall while at work and even walked into a crosswalk to get hit by a car.

One morning Joe came face-to-face with desperation yet again, and a car propped up on jacks in his driveway gave him the chance to do something about it. Crawling under the car, he intentionally kicked the jack out from under the frame, sending the car crashing down on top of him. His spine broke on impact, but he managed to call his wife, who rushed to the scene and with the help of two neighbors, lifted the car to rescue him.

Every day, more than 115 Americans die from opioid overdoses. Luckily, Joe is not one of them. With the support of his wife and family, Joe is in recovery and now 9-months sober, abstaining from controlled substances of any kind. He pushes on and shares his story with the hope of helping even just one person avoid the dangers of prescription opioids.

Learn more about the Opioid Epidemic.

Need Help?

If you or someone you love is having a problem with Opiates, Serenity Recovery Centers can help. We offer inpatient treatment for opiate addiction in Memphis, Tennessee. We also offer medication assisted treatment to alleviate the physical symptoms opiate of withdrawal so the patient can better focus on their recovery.

To get started, send a message to one of our Admissions advisors or call us at (901) 521-1131 .