Jose A. Vazquez Lisboa

As mentioned in my introduction, about my experience Im not hired yet but my personal experience goes beyond working this noble profession. I my self have had my battles with addiction Furthermore, I have even been in prison because of it, however, due to to this incarceration my life took a complete turn around.

While there I was selected to join a therapeutic community. There I began to understand the {how} I got into addiction,but it would not be until I returned to school for my Bachelors degree that I began to understand the {why}. The {where} it came from is hard to say because though some distant relative had issues with alcohol, I was not predisposed by my immediate family mother, father, grandparents or even great grandparent. My first experience with drugs was while I was in the ARMY.I experienced with speed, cocaine, ,marihuana but t wasn't until I got out of the ARMY that I would confront my worst battle with drugs.

I was introduced to heroin by a co-worker who called himself my friend but as it turned out he was no real friend at all. As I worked on my recovery for a few years without relapse, I thought of the others I had met while in the TC and wondered if they were still in there recovery, that's when I thought I could help others as I was given the tools to successfully take hold of my life and use every once of will power in my being to keep it that way. I enrolled at CTU in a drug and alcohol\ mental health and behavioral therapist Bachelor's degree program. Graduated third in my class despite taking a six month sabaticle due to losing sight of my left eye consequence of a sudden attack of glaucoma better known as acute angle crisis. Came back and caught up to the class and was able to surpass students that were there the whole time. Finished third with a GPA of 3.87 and was awarded a letter of commendation by the dean as well as making the deans list. These achievements had made me very proud of what I had accomplished in such a short time thinking about what I could have achieved had I not wasted so much time on my addiction. Today I am

proud to say that I have been sober since 2007 and hopefully will be for the rest of my life.