I was born to a family of five with an addicted father. When I was a child my father died, and my big brother married and left us. My other brother, I remember, went to prison. Suddenly, I found myself in front of a mountain of problems. These problems from my childhood caused me a lot of aggression in high school. I was full of fear and stress that my family would end up poor.

After finishing high school, I went into military service— my country was involved in a war. I was wounded. After the completion of the war, I started working. I had to work hard to pay for university and my family too, but I felt fatigued, and my tired spirit disturbed me.

I wanted something that would calm me, soothe my scars, and my spirit.

After my first drink of cherry alcohol, I got that feeling of relaxation but soon found myself sinking in a bog. Then, my wife left me. Now, I was lonely, penniless, and frightened. I saw myself in full darkness. One day, I saw one of my old friends in street. I was homeless, so I tried to avoid him, but he smiled at me and said, “Saeed, wait. Hello! How are you getting along?” I told him I lost my job. Then he said we could go together to look for a new job if I wanted. I accepted because I didn’t have any money. He took me to a place where there were people who took me into their arms and talked to me about the hope and purity of recovery. I don’t know why, but I had tears in my eyes. They invited me to come back, and now, after 9 years (take that!), I’m clean.

I still have problems, But the difference is my attitude. Today I don’t solve problems with things. Today, I help myself through a higher power: my sponsor, meetings, and the 12 Steps. Today, my attitude towards life has changed— I am positive and strong!

I have scars that tell a story of a life that wanted to destroy me but failed

With best regards,

Saeedreza

Saeedreza lives in Iran, and he hopes his story can inspire someone else to make the hard change that he did. 

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