Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired

Tony's Road To Freedom

Tony has utilized the full continuum of treatment services on his remarkable road to recovery from alcohol addiction. His history around alcohol had early onset, beginning in his home 52 years ago. His father died when he was 11 years of age, leaving Tony vulnerable and alone. As the youngest of nine children, he drifted quickly to the company of older kids who drank alcohol. He joined the new "hippie" movement and took its steady diet of "girls, pot and liquor."

In the early 1990s he came to Tacoma with a friend where he continued a sharp downward spiral. He reports that he "drank like a fish." He slept in tents, the jail and under freeways. He panhandled.

By 2005, Tony was a confirmed street-drunk who spent considerable time in our local emergency departments. He spent his first night at the new MDC Sobering Center in January 2005 where he slept it off daily for seven months. During this time, he was around the MDC staff a lot and, for the first time, something shifted. In his words, "I just had had enough. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired." He walked across the hall to the MDC Detoxification Center. Then MDC Involuntary Commitment staff drove him to inpatient treatment in Sedro Wooley where he stayed for 60 days.

When he returned to Tacoma, he was assigned to the MDC Center for Substance Abuse Recovery, known as The Center, for outpatient treatment. He was able to obtain stable disability income and found permanent supporting housing in an MDC-owned apartment.

Tony has been clean and sober for three years and will talk to anyone about the roadway to recovery he found at MDC. He is a quiet, gentle man with a grateful heart.

More Information

To start the road to recovery for you or someone you know, visit The Center for Substance Abuse and Recovery. The Center's staff will expertly guide you through a free assessment and help you understand your options for treatment.