Sometimes we need a true scare to realize how urgently we need to change our lives. For Cedar House graduate Daniel C., that scare came in the form of excruciating pain in his side that sent him to the ER. There, he learned that ten years of continuous alcohol abuse had caused his liver to enlarge. Realizing at that point the dangerous toll his addiction had taken on his health, Daniel knew he needed to change his life.
Until that point, Daniel had several attempts and failures to quit drinking, bouncing around renting rooms and being evicted because of his alcohol abuse. He knew his body couldn't withstand his drinking much longer and felt such relief when, on his 29th birthday in March 2018, he received a phone call informing him that a bed in Cedar House's Withdrawal Management Program was available for him.
Daniel had no idea how bad alcohol withdrawals could be. Despite suffering with severely high blood pressure, sweating, delirium tremens and insomnia for four days, Daniel stayed the course with his detox treatment. After this challenging withdrawal, he began his 90-day inpatient residency program.
The physical ailments began to wear off after about 45 days, the longest stretch of sobriety Daniel had experienced since he was 16. But at 296 pounds, pre-diabetic and with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, he knew he had to get serious about his recovery. He began making good use of the education and counseling in his program and hitting the Cedar House gym.
Finally, Daniel was receiving the tools he needed to truly change. His 98 days at Cedar House set the foundation for what remains a very strong, active recovery.
Daniel treasures his sobriety. He continues going to meetings and stays active in his church. He wholeheartedly acknowledges the importance of staying active in his recovery.
With sincere gratitude, Daniel offers his time and energy back to Cedar House. He wants to show his appreciation and be a resource to others who suffer with addiction.
"I knew I needed help. That was the day I got on the wait list for Cedar House."
Until that point, Daniel had several attempts and failures to quit drinking, bouncing around renting rooms and being evicted because of his alcohol abuse. He knew his body couldn't withstand his drinking much longer and felt such relief when, on his 29th birthday in March 2018, he received a phone call informing him that a bed in Cedar House's Withdrawal Management Program was available for him.
"I went in the next morning, March 14, shaking uncontrollably so much so that I couldn't even write. My intake papers were a series if incoherent scribbles."
Daniel had no idea how bad alcohol withdrawals could be. Despite suffering with severely high blood pressure, sweating, delirium tremens and insomnia for four days, Daniel stayed the course with his detox treatment. After this challenging withdrawal, he began his 90-day inpatient residency program.
"This was the start of my life."
The physical ailments began to wear off after about 45 days, the longest stretch of sobriety Daniel had experienced since he was 16. But at 296 pounds, pre-diabetic and with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, he knew he had to get serious about his recovery. He began making good use of the education and counseling in his program and hitting the Cedar House gym.
"The classes, panels and trauma group began to reveal themselves as the most important lessons I would ever learn. I began to truly learn about the nature of my addiction, to really break down the road that led me to rehab. To grasp and understand the severity and significance of this terrible disease and begin the hardest process of my life which was to confront and acknowledge every resentment, shortcoming and unresolved trauma from my past I had been coping with through the use of drugs and alcohol my entire adult life."
Finally, Daniel was receiving the tools he needed to truly change. His 98 days at Cedar House set the foundation for what remains a very strong, active recovery.
"Today, I am nearly 11 months sober. I have lost 50 pounds; my blood pressure is great; cholesterol great; blood sugar perfect and my liver enzymes are normal. I am happier, healthier and more confident and motivated that I have ever been in my life."
Daniel treasures his sobriety. He continues going to meetings and stays active in his church. He wholeheartedly acknowledges the importance of staying active in his recovery.
"Sobriety has given me control over my own future, and it all started with that morning where I was trembling with fear, crippled with anxiety and unnerved to my core in anticipation of going into treatment. I walked into Cedar House scared, unhealthy, at my lowest point of my life that morning of March 14, 2018. And I walked out of those doors 98 days later confident, healthy and more relentlessly optimistic about my future than I had ever been."
With sincere gratitude, Daniel offers his time and energy back to Cedar House. He wants to show his appreciation and be a resource to others who suffer with addiction.
"I owe my life to Cedar House and the diligent staff who keep that place running. I will always have a place in my heart for that place, and a deep appreciation for the rippling waves of change they make in the lives of the suffering addict."