This opiate addiction recovery story is about a young man who almost didn’t make it. Adam’s life became a heroin addiction recovery true story only after years of chasing pills, powders, and a high that nearly killed him. In the United States, more than 100,000 people die from drug overdoses in a single year, and most of those deaths involve opioids. In Arizona alone, more than five people die every day from opioid overdoses. Behind those numbers is someone like Adam, lost in addiction and trying to find a way out.
An Opiate Addiction Recovery Story: From Video Games to Heroin
Adam didn’t start with a needle in his arm. He started with video games (behavioral addiction), hiding in a virtual world to escape real life in Gilbert, Arizona. Then came weed / marijuana and alcohol (drinking, vodka, Jack and Coke, whiskey) with friends. It felt normal, even fun.
Soon he added other drugs to the mix: cocaine, ecstasy, mushrooms, and Somas (carisoprodol). When he discovered OxyContin 80s and Percocet 30s / Percocets, everything changed. These powerful opiates / opioids grabbed him fast. When pills ran out or got too expensive, he turned to fentanyl (fentanyl pops) and then heroin (smoked and injected).
Heroin wasn’t enough either. Adam chased stronger and more chaotic highs: meth / methamphetamine, speedball (heroin and meth together), and Xanax on top of everything else. He used in apartments, cars, bathrooms, and on the streets around Phoenix, Arizona, Tempe, Arizona, Mesa, Arizona, and Apache Junction, Arizona, near places like Superstition Mountain (Arizona) and busy crossings like Country Club and the 60 (Phoenix/Mesa area).
What began as escape had turned into a full-time job: staying well, avoiding withdrawal, and trying not to die.
Falling Apart in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Beyond
Adam tried to live a double life. By day, he worked in hospitals and pharmacies where he worked as a pharmacy tech. By night, he was getting high, driving from Scottsdale, Arizona to Tempe or Mesa to score. He checked into an unnamed detox facility (earlier detox/IOP) and tried an IOP (intensive outpatient program) and outpatient program, but he wasn’t ready to stop.
He went in and out of treatment at places like Banner Behavioral in Scottsdale and Community Bridges. Each detox facility / detoxification stay gave him a short break from the chaos, but he kept going back to the same people, the same neighborhoods, and the same drugs.
His addiction eventually took him far from home—through Texas, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Gallup, New Mexico, and even Las Vegas, Nevada and the A Better Today (ABT) houses in Las Vegas. He chased jobs, relationships, and new starts, but the one thing that followed him everywhere was heroin and pills. Even his time connected to U of A (University of Arizona, Tucson area) couldn’t hold him; addiction was louder than school, work, or family.
Hitting Bottom: Valley Hospital, Calvary and A Better Today
Adam’s body and mind finally began to give out. He landed in the ER, terrified and sick. That led to a 7-day detox at Valley Hospital, where doctors helped him safely withdraw from heroin, fentanyl, meth, and all the other substances. After detox, they suggested PHP (partial hospitalization) recommendation and more structured care.
From there, Adam went into inpatient treatment / 30-day program (Calvary)—a residential program at Calvary (inpatient treatment program). In that treatment facility, he couldn’t run away or hide. He had to face his past, his trauma, and his choices. For the first time, he heard people talk about total honesty, responsibility, and hope.
After Calvary, he moved into sober living / recovery housing (A Better Today houses) through A Better Today (ABT) in Scottsdale. Sober living in Phoenix and later in Las Vegas, Nevada (ABT houses) gave him structure and people who were serious about change. There were rules, curfews, and drug tests—but there was also safety, community, and real support.
A Heroin Addiction Recovery True Story: Life in 12-Step Recovery
In sober living, Adam started going to 12-step meetings every day. At first he just sat and listened. Over time, he found a home group, got sponsorship / having a sponsor, and started working the 12 steps.
The program asked for complete abstinence from all mind- and mood-altering substances. No weed, no alcohol, no pills, no “just once in a while.” That sounded impossible at first. But as he worked the steps, something changed. He began to feel human again. He made service commitments, like setting up chairs, making coffee, and talking to newcomers. Service helped him get out of his own head and reminded him how far he’d come.
Today, Adam’s opiate addiction recovery story includes giving back. He’s working in a treatment facility (as part of recovery life), helping other people who walk in the door sick, scared, and convinced they can’t stop using. He knows exactly how they feel—because he’s been there.
Watch Adam’s Story: Adam Finds Hope After Opiate Addiction
This written story is only part of the picture. Hearing Adam speak brings his heroin addiction recovery true story to life in a powerful way.
In the video, Adam shares how opiates and heroin almost killed him, what detox and treatment were really like at Valley Hospital, Calvary, and A Better Today, and how recovery in Phoenix, Arizona gave him a new purpose.
The Moral of Adam’s Story: There Is Still Time
Adam’s journey shows how fast addiction can grow—from video games, weed, and alcohol to OxyContin 80s, Percocet 30s, fentanyl pops, heroin, meth, speedballs, and Xanax. It also shows that even after years of damage, there is still hope.
If you or someone you love is trapped in opioids or heroin today, you are not alone. Detox, inpatient treatment, sober living, and 12-step recovery helped Adam build a life he never thought was possible. One phone call, one detox, one meeting can be the first step toward a completely different future.
You don’t have to wait for another overdose, another arrest, or another goodbye. Like Adam, you can find hope after opiate addiction—one day at a time, right here in Phoenix and beyond.
