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Your support of the Peer Recovery Program pulled Michael out of a cycle of addiction
Twelve years of substance abuse stole Michael Munson’s marriage, his career and his peace of mind. Your gift to the Peer Recovery Program is giving him a second chance.
“If it wasn't for this program, I would not be here today. I was running down the path towards death," says Michael.
Michael became addicted to opioids after dental surgery. The prescription pills took away the pain in his mouth but gave him something else—a feeling of euphoria in all aspects of his life.
"I felt like I could do anything when I was on drugs. I was the best husband, the best friend, the funniest person in the room, the employee of the month. After a point it becomes a ball rolling down hill and it gets worse and worse," he says.
Michael hit bottom at his two daughters' combined birthday party. He took opioids he bought off the street and had a terrifying reaction to them. In that moment he knew he had to ask for help.
"I'm just one story, but there are others out there that, when they do take that first step, they will be successful, too, thanks to donors like you.â€
“I finally said, ‘I'm not going to do this anymore. My children deserve better.’ So, I came to St. Elizabeth and poured my heart out,†he says.
The emergency room doctor who treated Michael that day at Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Hospital introduced him to Colleen, a trained peer counselor. Then and there, his journey back from addiction began.
“For the longest time I was so ashamed of the things I was doing. But now? Now, I've never been prouder of myself,†says Michael.
Your gift to combat addiction helped Michael get clean
After 12 years of addiction, Michael had enough of not being the person and father he wanted to be. Last year he asked the physicians at St. Elizabeth’s for help, and he hasn’t looked back. Listen to him describe his experience in his own words.