Hector’s Recovery Story: Finding the Strength to Ask for Help
How Addiction Started
Hector’s recovery story started at 13, with a sense of belonging. The lifestyle he saw in his neighborhood looked like the one on television. “It’s what you see on TV. It’s what you see in movies,” he says. “And you’re like, wow, this is it. I’m here.”
Years of the same habits followed. “It took many, many years of just running into the wall over and over again,” Hector says. Asking for help never felt possible. “That was my problem for years. Hard asking for help.”
The Turning Point
Two years ago, something gave. “I’m just tired. I’m just giving up. I’m waving the white flag. I think the time is now.”
A 22-month placement in TCAP, the Treatment Continuum Alternative Program, gave him something he hadn’t expected. “I was treated like a human being,” he says. “You see the help coming from all directions.”
Finding Recovery and Healing
Recovery hasn’t been without its hard moments, and Hector is honest about the loneliness of leaving behind people who still want to pull you back. But he’s channeling that same energy into something new. “I wake up in the morning motivated that I accomplished one more day.”
Resources for Families & Recovery
Recovery resources and support
Learn about Opioid Use Disorder.
