After high school, James worked as a commercial fisherman: long days on the water were made much longer by a drug addiction that would leave him physically ill if he didn't have the drug in his system. Before long, James' never-ending quest for more heroin lost him his apartment and his job.

Soon he was arrested on DUI charges: drinking went hand in hand with his addiction to opiates. The courts sent him to drug detox, but his stay there lasted only about a week and, shortly thereafter, he was back on drugs. A violation of probation that landed him back in jail for another nine months.

In jail, James began attending twelve step meetings, and began to understand the fundamentals of recovery. He was eventually released, but was still taking drugs. Following the advice of his lawyer, James entered a long term residential drug rehab where he continued the recovery process and eventually overcame his drug addiction.

"I was not destined to be a junkie", James explains. "I received a second chance in life, now I am sober and happy."

James is currently living in a halfway house. He attends meetings every day, and goes to work every morning. He is finally responsible for himself and has plans for the future that do not include the use of drugs or alcohol. "I'd really like to go back to school and maybe even end up on the other side of the table, helping guys like me to get clean."

This month, the month designated by the President as National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, James has something to celebrate for the first times in 10 years.

No matter how bad the situation, no matter how many treatment programs have failed, no matter how many jail terms an individual has served, and no matter how much has been lost, a successful drug rehab program can turn a life back into something worth getting up for every day.

Matt is a freelance writer that contributes articles on health Contact: info@drugrehabreferral.com http://www.drugrehabreferral.com/content/drug_rehab Successful Drug Rehab Program