Donate

For May 2022, Fellowship RCO would like to recognize

Enrique Martinez

Hello, my name is Enrique and I am an addict.
 
I grew up in Reno, Nevada. My family life consisted of living with my grandparents, mom and little sister. I would visit with my father on the weekends. Looking back I believe that I was born with the disease of addiction. It’s like I lived a double life as a kid with the thoughts and feelings I had. 

My first escape was food and over the counter sleeping pills. I remember eating to escape and wanting to sleep all the time so I wouldn’t have to be awake and deal with my feelings. Later on in high school I went from thinking weed was for losers to trying it once to having a pipe and a bag with me at all times. Graduating high school and wanting to escape the small town and learn what it meant to live as a gay man; I decided to move to Florida and enroll in school to become a dental assistant. This would be my pattern for the next few years. Enrolling in school and moving to a new city to escape the disaster I had created with my addiction.

I always ended up back in Reno on my mom’s couch. I didn’t understand why my life was so unmanageable, and it never crossed my mind that it was the drugs. I would tell myself and others that it was this break up or this job or my family. I was always the victim.
 
When I was around 26 years old, I started to land in jail with more serious charges. I remember being sentenced to rehab from jail. I was happy because I thought people like me didn’t get to go to rehab, I also thought that everything would be fixed, and I could leave this all behind me. I used the week after completing rehab. Though being introduced to the rooms of AA I had no idea that it would be the only solution for me. So the madness continued for a few more years. On my last run that lasted a year and a half I became the addict I always thought I was better than, I became “that guy”. It was the worst year of my life but I’m truly grateful for it because it produced the bottom I desperately need to hit.  

My clean date is 2/10/2018 and coming into recovery this time has been such a beautiful journey. I came in with the willingness to do anything and everything suggested to me for my recovery. I thought all I wanted was to stop using, but I got so much more.

I have been able to make amends with my family and have a better relationship with them than before,

I have a God of my understanding that keeps me clean and has changed me from the inside out,

and I have friends that love me for me; who want nothing in return. 

At a year clean I was given the opportunity to come work for Fellowship RCO, and it awoke something inside of me that has changed the course of my life. I strive to help other men seeking recovery, purpose, and a passion for life just I have. I found a job that I am passionate about and believe in because I remember what it was like before I found recovery, and I am a living example to others that a life worth living is possible. I get to show up to my life and I am grateful for all that I have experienced, the good and the bad. 

I came in with warrants and a prison sentence over my head, and at two years clean I was given time served for all of it.  
 
Not only have I found a place I can call home over the past three and a half years, but I also enrolled in Barber School, and recently graduated! It feels good to be a man of integrity today, and a person who can follow through on the goals I set out for myself. I have found hobbies that I enjoy, I can be the best dog-parent to my dog Simba, and take care of my own emotional, physical, and spiritual needs as a result of recovery and trusting God. I stay involved and not just through my work. I proudly participate in social events, sponsor others, provide outreach to those who need a helping hand, and I recover out loud so that any new comer can see that it works.

A few months ago we lost my grandpa and while it was terribly sad, I got to show up and be there with my family. I didn’t have anything to offer before, but now I have coping skills, spirituality, love and support.

I am truly blessed for this program and I love the life that I live now. 

Click the link below to check out Enrique’s Barber Services and Book and Appointment

Enrique's Barber Services
Back to Recovery Heroes Page