How many of you have been involved in a life-altering event?
My name is Greg S. and I will be sharing my story about how I changed my lifestyle after a traumatic event during my sophomore year of college. The last couple of years have been a journey and a lot of change has happened. I will explain my old lifestyle, what happened in order to change my lifestyle and what my life looks like today.
My first attempt at higher education landed me at Linfield College in Oregon. It was in a very small, charming and eclectic town called McMinnville. I thought I wanted to attend a small school in order to get a good education and to play soccer as well. After a few weeks there, I had already made the decision to attend somewhere else. I was not very content with the decision that I had made so I acted impulsively and transferred to the University of Arizona. I was getting a quality private school education and I was willing to throw it all away and pay more for a massive public school. It just goes to show my mindset at the time and how immature and childish I was.
I ended up at the University of Arizona, filled with warm weather, pool parties, and gorgeous people. They also had a prestigious business school which was one of the main reasons I transferred, or so I thought. Within a couple of weeks, I had joined a fraternity due to their social dominance. At this point in my life, I was only interested in a fast-paced, crazy party lifestyle. I forgot the main reason of what college was for and I was looking at it like a four-year vacation instead of an investment that would be the foundation for the rest of my life.
I only lasted a year there. That year consisted of trips to the county jail, courthouse and the hospital, which created a reputation that I was not proud of. My memory of the previous night was always hazy and I lacked self-esteem and self-respect. I did not have quality friendships and my relationship with my family was diminishing. Worst of all, at the end of the day I was not happy. I always had a lot of aspirations and goals but I lost sight of that due to my lifestyle. I did not exercise, eat healthy, or take any responsibility for my actions. I hardly attended my classes and when I did I never participated. At the end of the day, I felt alone even in a house full of 50 friends. What was the cause of this? Why was this happening? Was it due to the fact that I could not stop partying, drinking, and drugging? Was it due to the fact that I lived dishonestly, selfishly, irresponsibly, making me ashamed of the person that I had become?
The next thing that happened is something that I am forever grateful to have experienced because it created an opportunity to change my life. Check back at Into the Heart of Addiction for Part II of my story in the upcoming days.
Last Updated on May 24, 2022
