As a child, Ernest grew up in a very stable home. His mother worked hard to graduate college to be able to provide for him. His parents never fought in front of him and he never wanted for anything growing up. Where he grew up there wasn’t a lot of black people in the area. This left him feeling like there was something missing in his life.
Ernest started acting out to try to get attention. He would steal things from family and stores to try to gain friendship from his classmates. Ernest grew up very small and eventually started getting picked on regularly. He was embarrassed on a regular basis and eventually tried to self-medicate to handle the emotions he was feeling.
At the age of 10, Ernest had his first taste of alcohol. He drank enough that he blacked out and doesn’t remember anything that happened that night. All he knows is that he felt better about himself after that night. In high school, there were very few black people and they were singled out. This caused Ernest to get into a lot of fights with other children in the school. At this point he smoked marijuana for the first time and instantly fell in love with the way that it made him feel. He was able to find a release and comfort that he hadn’t known before in his life. He suddenly felt an overwhelming relief from all of the chaos that he was struggling with in his life. This is what led to his addiction.
“I found what made me okay. What calmed down all the demons in my head.”
When Ernest’s Addiction Started
Once Ernest realized how wonderful marijuana made him feel, there was no turning back. For the next 12 years he used the drug religiously to better manage the struggles of life except for during the times when he was incarcerated. Once he started using marijuana his priorities changed. He noticed a significant drop in his grades, and he started skipping school more and more frequently.
Marijuana led Ernest to change as a person altogether. He wanted to become a gang member and become a drug dealer within a very short period of time. He started making poor decisions that led to criminal charges. He was arrested for breaking and entering, car theft, truancy and drug charges. He was eventually expelled from school for breaking every rule that they had except for arson.
By 15, Ernest has to sign his first probation deal. He had already been in and out of juvenile hall multiple times. He had realized that being a minor could work to his benefit. He kept getting minimal consequences due to his age when he did break the law. This gave him the false sense of entitlement that he could do whatever he wanted without having to worry about being held accountable for it. As part of the deal, Ernest had to go a different school. He was quickly kicked out of that school for fighting as well. This is where his life takes a turn for the worst. He is offered the option to get his GED and get a full-time job or go to juvenile hall until he is 18. He chose to get a GED and a full-time job.
“I had to intensify that feeling and I had to definitely mask it with some drugs and alcohol.”
The Worst Parts of Ernest’s Addiction
Getting his GED and a full-time job did not turn things around for Ernest. It actually made things much worse. He spent every dime that he made to support his drug habit. He starts dabbling in different drugs and starts selling them. He sees his friends dying around him and felt that the people that he met in the streets were like a family to him.
He got a woman pregnant and straightened his life up from addiction temporarily. The day that his girlfriend gave birth, Ernest went and got high again. He keeps using and eventually makes the mistake of falling back into his old habits. He starts robbing people with his friends and when they are on their way to a robbery, one night he is pulled over by the police for the first and last time.
He started jumping from state to state to try to change his life. He found that every place he moved was the same outcome because he didn’t change his mindset or get help for his addiction. He moved from Florida to Texas, where he was able to see his son more often. He didn’t straighten up though. Ernest started stealing more and more to try to get by with his son. He put his son in many questionable and dangerous situations in order to get high or drunk. Eventually he met a woman off of the internet and started smoking crack with her. A week later he was picked up on the street trying to talk to someone on a dead cell phone. His mother and the police suggested that he go to get help at a rehab center.
“I was able to give it to God and someone else so that I could get them burdens off of me.”
How Ernest Made it Alive and Found Sobriety
Ernest moved to Arizona and had started rehab. He was kicked out within two weeks because he took a cell phone into rehab. He didn’t think that he could be addicted to alcohol because it was legal. He had to sleep outside the first night after getting kicked out of rehab and got as drunk as he could. He woke up and thought that life wasn’t so bad, but quickly things took a turn. Life got so bad that he was snorting coke and ended up putting a gun to his head and pulled the trigger. It misfired and he didn’t know what to do next. He called his parents and they took him home.
He decided to start working out for two months and decided that he was going to go to a meeting when he reaches his 60 days sober. That morning he got second degree burns at work from a pan filled with butter. His work tried to make him go to the hospital, but he refused because he didn’t want to take the chance of having his mind altered at all. He went to the meeting so that he could get his 60-day chip. He started going to meetings but wasn’t following the program. Eventually he relapsed and then became homeless. He was living in a tunnel and trying to figure out how to use heroin. He was hanging out with the wrong crowd and got very high and tried to take his life again and survived.
He got arrested again and was incarcerated where he decided to start getting clean from his addiction. He followed the program and was able to get the step work completed so that he could get the life that he really wanted. He eventually was able to become a mentor to others and uses the program to grow and learn constantly. He is able to be proud of the man that he has become.
42 comments
First off good for you my guy for not going with it. Otherwise you would be dead and sharing your story would not be possible. This is why I say that at times when life happens or tosses us a curve ball we either fight back or in this case give up at least at that time, Drugs will never be an answer. It will just dug up a deeper hole so we should avoid it.
At 10 taking that much alcohol, that still shows a level of parental neglect. That’s my opinion though, I feel for him seriously
I just like happy ending stories like this, thanks gracious Ernest was able to stop his addiction. Good one that he is a mentor today to younger ones.
Wow, another touching life story of an addict. I just thought of alot, what of if he actually killed himself? What would have happened to the parents and everyone that love him. Its well
Thank you for sharing this amazing story with us. Reading this story has definitely inspired me to volunteer and help out people with various addictions. Great job Ernest! Keep it up.
Sometimes I’m forced to ask if drinking and getting addicted really calmed the demons in our heads. Could this be reality or an illusion?
It is quite sad how one starts very innocently. One turns up to being a worse person.
This story is very tough, but It makes me happy that he got to clean his system from drugs. Drug problems are not only painful for the victims but their families.
This really touches me a lot, that He got arrested again and was incarcerated where he decided to start getting clean from his addiction. But am so happy for him that he later became proud of the man he became. Thanks for sharing this educative post.
I am really happy that you never went for it. Everyone deserves a second chance. As long as we are breathing, we can change our very own future.
It is a very sad and real story that is often seen in many streets the difficult situation faced by young people with drug addiction problems for not facing their fears and emotional emptiness, they themselves evade reality even knowing that it is momentary and that the addiction is difficult to control.
Wow I’m so glad he’s not dead. Surely there is always hope no matter how dark the situation will be. So happy for him.
I keep wondering what his parents were looking, at 10 he was taking so much alcohol, parents should take care of their responsibility with due diligence.
I say that at times when life happens or tosses us a curve ball. he decided to start getting clean from his addiction. This is very bad story. Drug problems are only painful.
I also glad Ernest was able to recover and only recovering, but mentoring the young ones. He wil be able to stop them from going into the competition
Thankyou for sharing this amazing story. I really loved it. Everyone deserves a second chance. As long as we are breathing, we can change our very own future.
Even in the rehab treatment you still try to stole handphone,and actually what you feeling on that day?hope you became a good person and sober
This story came with all kinds of emotion. Ernest did the most even robbing as well that was really a life. But thank goodness you are good now and living better
Early usage of drugs really put the kids in a bad spot, it’s disheartening. To the stage of putting a trigger to the head, it shows he knew what he was doing was truly bad. God help us
I’m glad he didn’t kill himself.. having his first taste of alcohol at 10 and blacking out wasn’t cool… marijuana is terrible and taking that drug for 12 years can totally destroy ones life..I’m glad she got into rehab later on. thanks for sharing
This story reminds one other story I’ve read before now. The fact that the endings are positive is what makes glad for earnest. Well-done detox.
Adsicts don’t mind ro spent every dime that he made to support his drug habit even at the expense of other people or things. It really not a good way to enjoy this one privilege we have to live
This story is heart touching and emotional. God really wanted the best for him that was why he miss fired that shot. Thank God he found the will to say no to addiction. Detox to rehab thank you for sharing this amazing story of recovery.
This is a very touching story. Earnest really had a bad childhood till he went into addiction. Glad he find recovery in the end.
Very pathetic story about Earnest. He went to prison over the challenges he faced to the point of trying to kill himself thinking life is over for himself but thank God he find recovery through sobriety.
I see, people can even attend meeting for recovery purposes but still not committed to better living. It l start from personal decision before the help you see works
Thank you Detax to rehab for sharing these type of stories with all of us.These stories are really very much inspirational for many people who are addicted with something and try to recover from that.
Well I see his life precious to God, he got even more than second chance. Drugs can make one loose all if no care is taking. And we need show them all the love they needed
Earnest”s story of addiction can be attributed to parental neglect and negative peer influence. However, addiction is a very terrible situation only early recovery can tackle the problem. Detox is setting the pace in drug recovery.
Earnest had a rough childhood to cope with which led to all the challenges he faced. I am very happy that he eventually took the path to recovery for him to turn things around.
It is easy to start using substances. Most people start by using the legal ones and advance. That is where tones of problems start to creep in.
Wow, this is such a touching experience with a nice ending. I believe God spared your life himself because he still need and believe in you. Thanks for sharing your story
It is good to hear that after all these struggle, you still made it back to recovery. It must be a tough one since 10. I only hope all hands be on desk from the parents angle in other to nurture child(ren) to right path. Our generation needs to be saved by these devilish plan to destroying lives through thinking drugs or other substance is a way to ease depression and other things that could lure one to do drugs. Congratulations Ernest on your recovery. Thanks to you detox to Rehab group, you’re doing a great work in our society.
It is very sad that most of social vices in the society are caused by drug addiction. However, drug addicts should timely seek recovery for them to be truly free from the agony of addiction.
I try thinking about how the taste of alcohol at age 10 would feel like. This really caused Ernest something big. Glad he made it back
Sometimes I get scared of the effect substance abuse would have on a person who starts at an early age. Earnest lived a rough life and thank God he didn’t kill himself. Glad he is on the right path now.
Seeing the young ones get addicted to drugs at a tender really calls for concern. The use of drug starts little then turns to being addicted.
Ernest should be thankful enough because he didn’t lose his life to drug abuse. Seeking Rehabilitation is the best thing he did, and it happened due to no choice after series of challenges in his life.
Oh my God this guy almost committed suicide all for nothing. Thank God he is alive to tell this story today.
It was very sad and young people shouldn’t be in addiction. But, although he showed great strength to come out of addiction.
I just like happy ending stories like this, thanks to gracious Ernest was able to stop his addiction. I am really happy that you never went for it. Everyone deserves a second chance. As long as we are breathing, we can change our very own future.
This story is really something which inspires us although it is sad to hear such stories.