Meet Adam – An Addiction Recovery Success Story

Breaking Free – Adam’s Life-Changing Decision to Call Bridges

After a decade of struggling with opiate use disorder, Adam P. broke the cycle of addiction with the help and support he found at Bridges.

What started as an occasional recreational use of drugs with friends at college unwittingly spiraled into a 10-year daily and constant dependency on opiates like heroin, fentanyl, and Percocet. “It became the monkey on my back. I’d wake up, and it’d be the first thing I’d think about until the last thing I’d think about when I went to bed. It consumed my whole life. I couldn’t remember what it was like not to feel sick or always need something,” Adam remembers about his addiction. He had tried to stop taking drugs but could not do it alone. Eventually, he decided he wanted to turn his life around, and that is when he learned about the Bridges MATT’s (Mobile Addiction Treatment Team) Van.

“Over the past ten years, I had tried on my own to stop but couldn’t until I sought help from MATT’s Van. I hit a wall, was tired of it, and wanted to make a change, and it worked out. I wish I’d done it sooner.”

Adam was impressed with MATT’s Van’s relaxed and discreet approach. He says from the start his peer counselor Chris was sincere and genuinely wanted to help him. “He checked in with me twice a week and then weekly and made me feel like I wasn’t alone,” according to Adam.

Through MATT’s Van, Adam was connected to a prescriber for medicated assisted treatment and enrolled in clinical support. He was first prescribed Suboxone in the form of a strip that dissolves on the tongue. The taste of the Suboxone didn’t agree with him and led to missed doses resulting in multiple relapses. Then his Bridges prescriber recommended a monthly Sublocade shot which helped Adam turn the corner. “My life took a 180-degree turn. I used to fight with my mom constantly. I was spending all my money on drugs; I stole from my family and lied to them,” said Adam. “Since the shots, I immediately saw a difference. I have no cravings, and I’m getting along better with my mom and family. Everything is better.”

Bridges’ Medication Assisted Treatment program is based on two equally important components: medication and counseling. Adam was part of our intensive outpatient program (IOP), where he participated in group therapy three hours per day, three times a week. From individual check-ins to going over the benefits of a 12-step program, this all-inclusive high-level care treats clients’ mental health and substance use issues.

After being clean for a year, Adam advanced to a recovery group that meets a few times each week, where they discuss how members can positively occupy their time, manage their feelings, and prevent a relapse.

When asked what advice he’d offer to others battling addiction, Adam said, “If you really want to get better, it’s all on you. But you have to believe in yourself, and Bridges is here to help. Bridges overall has been really positive for me.”