Shelby S.

Growing up I had a fairly good childhood. My mom did have me at a pretty young age and she and my father quickly separated. My mother worked hard to provide me with the things I needed, but in my free time I was left to my own devices. After school I would run around with other kids in the neighborhood and they felt like family. I always wanted to be accepted so when alcohol and drugs were being used I quickly fell into peer pressure. By the age of 12, I drank alcohol and smoked marijuana. I loved playing sports, especially football. I had a great time in athletics but it also lead me to opiates. Painkillers were heavily used by many of my fellow teammates. In college and afterword my addiction just continued to progress. This eventually led to my arrest, which brought me to Teen Challenge to better of my life and my families.