Alumni of the Month Micheal L

Two years ago when I first came to the Last Door I was broken and destitute. I had burned my life to the ground and hated everyone and everything about my life. I was a 53 year old man addicted to crystal meth.  All I wanted to do was die but I was too much of a coward to kill myself. I had been clean at one point for 10 years but had never really worked the NA program or AA program properly and the result was me relapsing and using. I was at such a low point that I was lying to the people I loved and stealing from friends to get high. I was doing things again that I had not done since my twenties. I was broken mentally, physically, emotionally and most of all spiritually. I had two people I knew that worked at the Last Door, Giuseppe and Don. I made a decision to contact the Last Door and ask them for help. It would be the best decision I have ever made in my life.

So the morning of October 12, 2011 I checked into the Last Door Recovery Centre.  I would like to say that I took to the program there like a duck to water but that’s not what happened. I was the most self centered needy person in the house. I would sit in the lobby of the middle building saying I wanted to leave. I was like a broken record no gratitude at all for what the staff was offering me. Finally one day I said again I wanted to go and Danny asked me if I had ever had fun there. I knew I had but I lied and said no. He responded by telling me in a very explicit way to then go. Somehow he got through to me. I realized that day, that I was being offered a great opportunity. I got up after that and went to group were I started to listen. Once I was willing I learned about myself and how to become a responsible adult. I started to practice the program the way it was meant to be. I had the best person as my counselor Blair May (The Boss Man) . Blair taught me how to be an adult in the world and not to take but give back. He treated me better than I had been treated by anyone in a long time. With the love and caring of Blair and the rest of the Last Door staff my life started to change and it was slowly becoming a purposeful life.

Two years later I look back and realize that the Last Door gave me my life back. They taught me to be there for others and the importance of service. I had no self-esteem when I arrived and today I can say that I have plenty. I care about people today and I want to be there for whom ever needs me. Today I try to live by spiritual principals and take a constant inventory of myself. I’m not perfect I’m only human, I still have struggles in my life, but when times do get tough I know to go back to my basics! I consider the last Door my home today and even moved back to New Westminster because It was where I needed to be. I have an amazing group of people in my life that all live a life of spiritual principles.

The best part of my clean date is that it is so close to Thanksgiving and always will be. This year I will be remembering how thankful I am that I was offered this amazing opportunity and that the staff at the Door never gave up one me, even when I wanted to.

Thank you Last Door Dave and Louise