By Brent Botros Tree House Staff

It took me a very long time to figure out my purpose in life and find what I was truly passionate about. After years and years of causing destruction to myself and others, I felt lost and hopeless. As I started to turn my life around, I began really looking up to the people who helped coach me into the man I am today. I saw something in those people that I began to strive for, and as I began reaching my hand out, I started to discover my purpose and my passion — to help others. Today, addiction is rampant, and a lot of individuals need help. I once thought that a life away from drugs and alcohol was simply impossible for someone like me. Where I am today, I truly believe that if I could do it, anybody can. So this is what I do today; I try to show others that there is hope and there is a way out of addiction.

Addiction is a disease that removes the individual from him/herself. It is also a disease that disconnects the individual from all of his/her loved ones. These are two of the main reasons why I love to help people. The first being reconnecting the individual with themself. A lot of people, including myself, in early recovery, are completely lost and don’t even know who they truly are. They doubt themselves completely, and cannot handle uncomfortability. Helping to show an individual that they truly can achieve anything is very rewarding, and provides a lot of purpose behind what I do. One of the aspects of my job that I enjoy the most is seeing the light turn on in someone’s eyes and the life return back into them. When this happens, I begin seeing the work that I have put into helping someone else find their true self again, which makes everything worth it. I think that there is a bit of sacrifice that comes with being in the position I am in as well. When I talk about this sacrifice, I mean that sometimes I have to put what I am going through on the back burner to focus on helping the people in front of me. I have also chosen to put myself on the other side of the country away from my family in order to helps others be able to return to theirs.

Now, let’s talk about the rewards of being able to help others reconnect with their loved ones. Families often lose hope that they will ever even see their children again. Some families even have to worry about having to bury their children. Speaking from experience, one of the greatest gifts that I could have ever given my parents was their true son back. Reconnecting with them gave me hope that the disease could be beat and proved just how important reconnecting with family is. The feeling that I got from being able to wrap my parents up in my arms again, clean and sober, was a feeling that I held onto and will continue to hold on to in hopes of being able to give to others and their families. The tears of joy that came from my parents’ faces when they saw the real me will forever remind me of why I do what I do in hopes that the same thing occurs with those that I help.

Tree House Recovery is a men’s treatment program located in Portland, Oregon. Creating sustainable recovery through sustainable change, our programs help men learn how to live sober with adventurous lives. Call us today for information: (503) 850-2474