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March 2023

My name is Jonathan Dugan, and I’m an addict/alcoholic.
 
I struggled very early on as a kid with the behaviors of addiction, you can call them the “isms”, lying, manipulating, selfishness, self-centeredness, and so on, before I even experimented with drugs and alcohol. I struggled for a long time, trying to find love in various different ways and to be honest, I never knew how to love because I didn’t even know how to love myself.Through my addiction I’ve been incarcerated, I’ve overdosed, I was homeless, and I racked up some felonies. 

Addiction took a-lot of relationships, jobs, and friendships by the time the grips of addiction had me in it’s grasp. I truly lost everything. I woke up every morning, wishing that this would be my last day on earth. The pain just became too much to bear.

I have to tell you, I don’t feel like that anymore. Today I’m a son, a brother, husband, and a father I wake up every day, wanting to live, wanting to feel, wanting to be loved, and wanting to give love. Because I came into the rooms of recovery, and I took the suggestions while I was living at Fellowship Recovery Community Organization. For the first time in my life I followed rules. I did my 90 in 90, I got a sponsor, and I started working the steps. I built that thing they called a foundation with people that were doing the right thing. Slowly, but surely all those things that I had lost, started coming back to me, by working the steps. I truly got to know myself. I truly got to love myself.

I started building those relationships back that I’d lost, the most important ones were with my family; my mom, and my two sisters, Samantha, and Jacklyn. Shortly after that happened I lost my dad due to addiction. It was a difficult thing for me. He was my best friend. My sister, Samantha was just about to get married, and by God’s grace and her forgiveness, she asked me to walk her down the aisle for her wedding. I was honored. A lot of good things start happening. 

I started a business which I still have today, we have about 20 employees. I hired a lawyer, made some donations, and I got those felonies expunged and sealed. And of course I’ve got some material things back as well. I got my drivers license. I own a truck and make those payments on that truck, a motorcycle, Airboat, four wheeler… all the toys.

I’ve had the same telephone number for 10 years now, but the most important of all those things is the relationships that I’ve built through the program especially with my Sponsees. That’s where my recovery is felt the most. I wouldn’t change any of those things for the world.
 
I’ve met a beautiful woman in recovery. I proposed to her, we had a kick ass wedding and then we started a family. I have a three year old son, Jaxon Mitchell Dugan, and we’re about to bring a beautiful baby girl into this world in August 2023, Amelia Eileen Dugan. 
Still to this day,I have a sponsor who has a sponsor. I call my sponsor. I have a relationship with my sponsor. I do step work with that sponsor. I go to meetings. I have a kick ass sponsor family that we do a lot of things together. The love is unconditional. I still sponsor guys myself.
 
My clean date is April 12, 2013. God willing, this year I’ll be picking up 10 years. God is good. Be kind, love one another, be honest. Most importantly love yourself. I couldn’t ask for a better life. Thank you God.