One of the hardest but most redemptive seasons of my life happened when I spent fourteen months in a drug rehabilitation center. In all my years of writing, I have never written about this experience that has so distinctly shaped my life.
Of course, I never would have dreamed that over a year of my life during my mid-twenties would be spent in drug rehabilitation, but it happened. I began doing drugs in junior high school, mostly I guess do to the typical amount of peer pressure that most teens get from their friends. I started using drugs with great hesitation, but party after party I got a little less afraid of using drugs and that became my biggest problem. Losing my fear of doing drugs was the single worst thing that happened to me in my struggle with drug use.
My drug use became a more serious problem throughout high school and into my years at university. I thought that I was doing a great job of hiding my problem until Christmas break happened one year and my parents saw all the signs. I had great parents, by the way, and I believe that they were in no way responsible for my drug use or for my eventual need for drug rehabilitation.
My drug problem...