Living A Life Recovered By Matthew Ward mward@cbhssd.com @aliferecovered
The Comeback
back to treatment for the fourth time on March 6th, 2019, with the nudge from my girlfriend at the time.
My name is Matthew Ward, I’m 34 years old and I’m in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. I will be sharing a little bit of my experience, strength and hope on what I went through with my drug and alcohol addiction and how I found a way out. My goal is to help the next man or woman who still suffers and let them know they are not alone.
I completed 58 days of treatment at the Lighthouse in Anaheim and went to sober living. I started putting my resumé together. It was tough because I had no work history for 18 months, no car or driver’s license and a criminal record. The odds were against me. Even with the uncertainty, I knew I was smart, capable, honest, and possessed a great work ethic. I wouldn’t let alcohol and drugs define me for another moment.
Moving forward, I will be writing a monthly column, “Living A Life Recovered”. My goal is to help the next man or woman who still suffers. You are not alone. Please feel free to email me if you want to share your story or if you have any questions. I discharged from the Navy in January 2018. Although mentally and physically taxing, the Navy taught me several invaluable things. I learned the importance of being on time, looking presentable, and that the right attitude can get you through the most difficult situations. I reflect on my time in the military and am thankful and proud for the opportunity to serve my country. There are, however, certain aspects I am glad are over. I do not miss 18-hour days of manual labor while at sea. I do not miss getting so stressed out and then realizing that I’m in the middle of the South China Sea. The way I coped with the stress of active duty for over 7 years was with alcohol. By the time I discharged I was in active alcoholism and using drugs. I moved to East County, San Diego and I began to spiral after being introduced to methamphetamine. I had major legal trouble in early 2018 and I narrowly missed prison time after two DUI’s and possession of a large amount of cocaine with intent to sell. I got lucky and received no felonies after they reduced some charges, but I was deep in my addiction. I asked the Judge for mercy instead of justice. I had a slew of commitments and programs to now attend including an 18-month DUI program. I sold my car to help pay for the fines. Despite all of these consequences, I still continued to drink and use and ended up going 34 WWW.SanDiegoVeteransMagazine.com / JULY 2022
I started applying and was turned down by nearly every single one. Some were government jobs, I knew it was a longshot. I started losing hope. I had applied to other financial and sales-type positions as well, insurance companies, banks, etc. I was always great with numbers and communication so I thought I might be good at it. I wanted to break the stigma that manual labor is your only option after criminal convictions. I finally got a call from a man who was an agency owner at a Fortune 500 insurance company. He saw my resume on Indeed and asked me to come in for an interview. I was psyched. I had a jacket and tie for the interview with a pair of slacks and dress shoes that I borrowed from housemates. I was ready. When we sat down,
