It’s amazing to think of all the things I use to take for granted when I used drugs. I was brought up in an upper middle class family where I can safely say that I was spoiled. Ever since I was a small child I almost always got what I wanted. I wouldn’t say I was a spoiled brat, but my family definitely loved me more than anything and wanted to see my happy.
There are many moments throughout my life where I now look back on and feel very guilty about how much I took for granted. I had all the nice clothes, a great private school education, the toys, and pretty much everything. I wasn’t the only one who had everything, so did my brother and sister. Taking cruises in the Mediterranean, flying to London, or anything a child could want, we did and have.
I greatly appreciated these things but as my addiction grew, I thought little of them. I thought that’s how people lived their lives. I remember wrecking a couple of my cars while intoxicated or on drugs and waking up to them fixed with no punishment what so ever. I would even get kicked out of colleges because of my addiction, but I had no worries because I knew my parents would take care of it and just send me to another school.
Today I recognize how lucky of a person I am. I can’t believe some of the things my parents are willing to do for me. Spending 7 days camping by myself has shown me other things I have taken for granted, however small it might have been. For example, a simple shower I took for granted. I even took food for granted. Now I get excited when I get to eat everyday pantry stuff like candy, cookies, pretzels, or power bars. Each day brings new lessons for me and I now know that I can not take things for granted anymore, even the small stuff.