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My Story on Addiction and Recovery - Yehuda Greenberg
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“I just wanted to feel ok, and drugs did that for me” Amudim helps those in crisis, including those struggling with addiction. Donate to help our cause: https://unitetoheal.com/
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Berg
I grew up in a very from Orthodox
household I went to goodieshiva's good
schools you know I had good grades you
know I was going to be the next
guadaladar the next RAV and then over
the years things you know started to to
fall apart I didn't feel in place I felt
out of place whether it be in Social
settings in family settings School
settings I just wanted to be okay with
myself I wanted to be okay with my
family who at that point our
relationship was strained obviously they
wanted a path for me that I didn't want
for myself or didn't know what I wanted
for myself but I knew that I wasn't
comfortable with what I was doing so I
started smoking weed and you know I was
accepted into a new social setting
amongst peers that smoked weed and we
had fun and over time that then like the
other you know drugs substances
over time I developed a habit of taking
prescription medications that were
unprescribed and included opiates
benzodiazepines and along with that came
a lot of alcohol
one thing led to the next and the drug
usage got worse over time until I
developed an addiction both physical and
mentally but the most important thing
about it was that it it made me feel
okay and I would forget the day come
night time and come to morning time and
had something to look forward to
emotionally I think it was the best word
to describe it was numbness there was no
emotions it was just me living in this
alternate universe that uh there wasn't
emotions it was so empty it was just
there was nothing there I still remember
vividly it was a Friday night it was at
a friend's house eating Shabbos dinner
and a gentleman that was part of my
father's he sat me down he said maybe
you should think about getting some help
and for the first time I felt it was
somebody wanted to help me somebody
understood what I was going through it
was eye-opening to me and I said sure
come Sunday he called me he said I spoke
to an organization on your behalf it
happened to be a mudim and he said you
know we record a treatment center that
you could go get help and he said this
is when your flight is do you want
somebody to fly with you I was in shock
I was nervous fearful anxious I said no
I'm okay I was a big boy I said I'll fly
by myself it was in California I went to
Chabad Treatment Center I went not
knowing what to expect and it was the
best experience I ever had it was a
place where I belonged there was no
judgment that for me was the most
important thing it was feeling that I
was a part of something that I never
felt before and throughout all this the
healing emotionally began and a lot of
it started with the community but a lot
of it was being okay and comfortable
with who I was and who I wanted to be
when I got out out of treatment I then
started a case management work at a
hospital detox and that's really where
things started coming together for me
my job was to talk to people and get
them to treatment that was my job having
those conversations and just opening
their eyes to like what life can be and
also leaning on my past experiences it
just made it a lot easier seeing
somebody go from point A in their lives
even to point B it doesn't have to be a
to z but again I'm into treatment is
like the most drastic thing I can do to
help somebody just like somebody did it
for me it's something I love doing and I
built my self-confidence and people
started to lean on me for and whether it
was a ride to work or whatever it was
people leaned on me for for something
and and now I got married which is my
biggest dream and God willing starting a
family and my parents I am forever
grateful I think they're very proud of
what I've done I don't think I would
have been on this path or Journey had an
organization like them with a
non-existent the second day got that
call it was no obstacle there was no how
much is it you know when is it let's get
an help I think that that was one of the
biggest things that modem did for me was
giving me that ability to say you know
what I'm ready I want to get help and
the rest was taken care of
I'm forever grateful for I'm with them
for what they provided me and the the
impact that they made on my life
will stand with me forever wherever I go
and in fact that they make on other
people's lives and I see it on a daily
basis is instrumental in helping people
get better and helping our communities
really get better
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