Dan's first drink at age eight was a precursor to habitual alcohol and drug abuse that included acid, cocaine and pot. It lasted through his childhood, his teens, and into his early twenties. At age twenty-one, he sought help by checking himself into a residential drug rehab program. He finished the ninety day program in seventy-six days, but only stayed clean for about twelve hours after his release.

This kind of immediate relapse is not uncommon amongst addicts, though twelve hours, even in the world of recovery, is a quick fall. Fortunately, addicts can sometimes use the tools they learned in rehab to turn things around without having to redo an entire program. For Dan, that was not the case: It was another eight years before he put all the pieces back together and found a drug rehab program once again.

"I found that when the pain of using began to exceed the pleasure, it was time to stop. Now it is just one simple rule that keeps me clean. Don’t drink no matter what." For Dan, drinking is a gateway drug: one sip and he knows that he has begun a journey down a very dangerous road.

Through daily meetings and reading, Dan finds that the more information that he has on his disease, the easier it is to both understand what he has been through and why. "It is the people that support me, the kind of people that you meet when you do go to a drug rehab or to a 12 step meeting that keep me clean and sober. They keep me in check."

Many alcoholics and drug addicts want to quit, but finding the right alcohol or drug rehab program is crucial. It is possible to get through a successful drug rehab program the first time and stay clean. September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month - if someone you care about is addicted to drugs or alcohol, there is no time like the present to help them find one.

Matt Hull's work has appeared in print, on the web, and on television. His work in recovery has inspired him to recount the stories of recovering addicts who have found success in sobriety. mhull@addictionhelpservices.com www.drugrehabreferral.com www.addictionhelpservices.com