Christopher Ferry: This Is His Story Of How You Can Overcome Addiction, And Start A Brand New Chapter.

Authors Note: Please be advised that I, the interview I am not a certified professional of any kind. If you suspect you or someone you know may have an addiction to drugs or something else to please consult with a medical professional that specializes in addiction. This interview contains adult discussion on the topic of addiction. So, it will not be a suitable material for anyone under the age of 18. If you are under the age of 18, please read and discuss this interview with an adult present. Thank you, Founder, Of The Abler Blog, and it’s  online community. Jessica Niziolek. 

Intro: The following Interview is a glimpse into the personal journey of Christopher Ferry. Chris’s story can teach us that any turmoil you face in life can be turned into a triumph if you work hard enough including when life is challenged by addiction. 

Question One: Please introduce yourself and tell our readers about yourself. 

My name is Christopher Ferry, and I am 30 years old.  I am a father of three beautiful children who are all under the age of three, and I am engaged to their mother, Dina.  I grew up in Egg Harbor Township and had a pretty wonderful childhood.  My younger brother Michael and I grew up playing ice hockey and attended private school.  Throughout my early teenage years, hockey was my life, and I was heading towards the possibility of a future as a professional ice hockey player.  However, during high school, I was introduced to alcohol and drugs, and before long, I lost my desire to play sports, and spent most of my time hanging out with friends who were also using drugs.  My family felt so much pain as I descended headlong into my addiction.  

Question Two: There is this debate among society that people who do drugs or alcohol and become addicted to them, that’s their choice, that addiction isn’t a disease but rather a choice. Since you can see it from both the addict side and now the sober side, what are your thoughts on this?

Your question is a good one, and indeed this is a very controversial topic.  Many people who do not understand addiction, and also many who do, are separated by their beliefs on whether addiction is a disease or if it is a choice.  For me, I believe it is a disease.  There are people who started out experimenting with alcohol and drugs just as I did, however some of those people did not become addicted, and they were able to pick up and put down the drink and drugs at will.  For me, and plenty others like me, will become lost, and the ability to refrain from using is gone.  What we know now from research is that many of the neural pathways in the brain become diverted, and neurotransmitters (which are chemicals in the brain) such as dopamine become greatly impacted.  This results in wanting and needing more and more of the addictive substance.  At this point, the ability to choose is gone.  

Question Three: I have heard that from some people when they finally decided to get sober one of two things usually happen they hit their rock bottom, and they have almost like a “spiritual awakening” of sorts on their road to recovery. Did you have any kind of experiences like that during your recovery? And If yes, would you mind sharing what it was like for you?

Yes, the last time I went to drug rehab I stayed for 90 days. I went to several rehabs in the past and never was willing to stay that length of time. Somewhere in between 60-90 days something happened. It was like a cloud was lifted and I could see again. There was some form of separation between me and my addicted self. It wasn’t something someone sad or something I saw it just happened.

Question Four: If you could go back and freeze time and talk to yourself before the addiction took a hold of you, what would you say to yourself to try and convince yourself not to go down this particular path?

I think this is a very powerful thought that many of us in addiction and recovery have grappled with in the past. If it was possible to go back to my early high school years, and freeze time, I would want to sit myself down and be able to show myself how much I was going to lose. I lost the faith and trust of my parents; I lost the chance for a career playing a sport that I loved so much; I lost years in which I could have been building my businesses; and most importantly, I lost myself.  I did not know who I was without drugs.  When I began to recreationally use drugs as a teenager, I had no concept of the depth of the downward spiral that I would be on.  I had no grasp of the devastation that this would cause to the people who loved me the most.  All that said, now that I have six years in sobriety, I feel blessed to have learned the lessons that my addiction and recovery have brought to me.  I am able to use my experiences to connect to other people who are struggling, and one of my most precious gifts is the ability to show people that there is a way out from the pain and struggle of addiction.  You can rebuild your life when you are sober.  You can have your family relationships back.  You can build a family of your own.  You can wake up and not feel destroyed by the powerful urges and cravings to use every single day.

Question Five: What kind of clarity has being sober given you that you may have not come to realize if you weren’t a recovering addict?

Living in sobriety after my addiction has given me the ability to have so much gratitude for all sorts of things that others may take for granted. As I said earlier, waking up to see the sunshine coming through the blinds, and to play with my beautiful children, to walk on the beach with my wife – these are all gifts that I would not have appreciated if not for my struggle with addiction.  I have a daily feeling of thankfulness that I can feel good, do good, and not take anything for granted.  If I had not struggled, I don’t know if I would have such a powerful feeling of gratitude.

Question Six: A lot of people struggle with finding help when it comes to seeking inpatient treatment and are often denied because of things like insurance, or not being “sick enough.” Did you find this to be an issue for you as well? If yes, what was your personal experience like?

In truth, my personal experience of finding treatment is probably different from many people struggling out there.  I was blessed to be born into a hard-working family, and we had the resources in order to have good health insurance.  As a result, I was able to get into treatment and get the help I needed.  Now, as the owner of a treatment facility, I know only too well how difficult it can be for many people to get the help they so desperately want and need.  For this reason, our admissions department is committed to helping place people in a program that is available for them.  We offer scholarships, and work with other facilities who do the same.  We also work to keep a large network of treatment programs and providers around the country, state-run or otherwise, so that we can at least try to help as many people find treatment as we can.  Don’t get me wrong, it is not easy to find treatment for people who do not have the resources, but it is also not impossible, so we do our part to help the community as much as we can, regardless of their situation.

Question Seven: If you could tell the healthcare system one thing when it comes to how they treat those struggling with addiction what would it be? And what do you feel the healthcare system should know about it? 

If I had a direct line to the decision-makers in the healthcare system, I would want to tell them that they may be a little short-sighted.  Oftentimes, healthcare providers are looking to provide the least amount of treatment possible, but to get some type of positive outcome.  The truth is, people who have been struggling with addiction for years are unlikely to gain all that they need from a brief treatment stay.  It simply sets the individual up to fail, because they leave treatment, relapse, and worst of all, lose hope.  There is plenty of research and evidence to show that longer treatment stays result in better long-term outcomes for sobriety.  Rather than having to keep paying for people to go back to higher levels of treatment care, if they were able to do longer treatment stays initially, there would be less likelihood of relapse and having to start all over again.  Ultimately, I believe this would not only save the insurance providers money, but more importantly, it could save many lives!

Question Eight:

What are the top 5 misconceptions you hope to erase from the discussion of addiction as you continue on your road to sobriety?

The main one is Addiction is Not A disease. It is hard for someone to understand why and how it is a disease especially if they haven’t experienced addiction themselves.

Shaming drug addicts or recovering addicts. This is wrong and people don’t realize the harm it causes an individual

If someone is arrested for possession charges they are immediately treated as a criminal. I feel the opportunity to go to drug rehab or attend a treatment program in jail, worst case scenario, should be offered.

Convicted Felons with drug related charges should be granted the opportunity to work. Many employers will not hire convicted felons which makes it difficult for someone to change their way of life. Either the felonies should be expunged earlier or dropped to misdameanors after a treatment program is completed. The other option is an understanding from society that this individual made a mistake and is trying to fix their life.

That being a drug addict means your weak or families and the addict are embarrassed. Some of the most successful and intelligent people I know suffered from some form of addiction. I feel we should embrace our experiences and learn from them. We can turn our past defeats into present triumphs! 

Question Nine: What are the three most important lessons have you learned about the “sober you” during your recovery journey?

Lesson 1:  Never say never.  Anything is possible. For me, this means with God and sobriety, I was able to get my life back.  There was a time in my addiction that I thought I might never live a healthy and productive life.

Lesson 2:  Always stay positive. Your mental state is most important. If you think positive thoughts positive results will follow.

Lesson3: I am human, and I can make mistakes and learn from them.

Question Ten: What regrets have you experienced during your journey to recovery that have taken you from regret to personal wisdom that you hope to share with our readers?

That is a good question!  On my journey in recovery, I think there were times I did not take my recovery opportunities as seriously as I should have.  Especially in the early days, I did not give treatment my “all.”  Some might say this is because I was not yet done, or I had not reached my bottom.  I think timing is very important, and also the willingness and ability to do the work that is needed to explore the core reasons why I was using.  

Question Eleven: When you were at the point of your recovery, where you had to face the core of your demons so to speak and had to do that sober for the first time how scary was that for you? Did you come away from the confrontation feeling stronger, or did it make you realize just how far your addiction(s) took over your life and that you really had a lot of work to do to get to the other side? Did you mostly feel overwhelmed and defeated by the mere thought of the work you had ahead of you, or did it leave you feeling empowered and determined to not only get sober but to stay sober?

Facing my demons was scary and difficult because when I became sober, I truly couldn’t believe the damage I caused in the past. I was determined to make my amends and live a life of sobriety. After facing the wreckage of my past, I did feel stronger. I embraced what I had done and made a commitment to myself that I would spend the rest of my life helping people like myself. At first I was overwhelmed but once I had the appropriate sober support around me I was empowered.

Question Twelve: Addiction has such a powerful impact on families as I am sure you’re aware. What advice would you give to families that have just begun the road to recovery? And what advice would you give the person(s) who has the addiction? One-on-one with them?

For the families who have a loved one struggling or starting on the journey to recovery, I would say to keep faith, get support from others who have experienced similar issues in their family.  I would encourage family members to attend Al-Anon meetings, which can be very helpful for anyone who has a friend or family member in addiction or recovery.  I would also suggest going to therapy to deal with many of the painful aspects of addiction that have impacted the family.  As far as speaking to the individual who has the addiction, I would tell them that recovery is possible.  In fact, a life beyond your wildest dreams is possible.  It all starts by taking that first step and working a program “one day at a time.”

Question Thirteen: When you’re having days where you feel like you’re struggling, what do you say to yourself to keep going and stay focused?

That is easy! On days that I struggle, I reach out to supportive friends who are in recovery, and I get support from them.  I pray, go to a meeting, and make a gratitude list.  I watch my beautiful family and I am able to find peace and gratitude that brings me back to a place of serenity.

Question Fourteen: If people would like to reach out to you to share their story with you, possibly seek guidance and help in their own recovery, where can people contact you directly?  

Anyone who wants to ask questions or find out more information about treatment should reach out to me on Facebook.  I have a large following on social media, and I constantly check my messages to help people who are reaching out for support, whether by way of treatment options, or words of encouragement.  

Question Fifteen: The Abler goes by the belief that “your voice is what the world needs to hear.” Coined and written by myself. What motto or saying do you personally go by that describes your journey with sobriety and or your life in general that holds special meaning to you?

If you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will be successful. -Eric Thomas

Outro: Life often shows us that not every path we find ourselves on will be ideal or pretty to witness. But what life does teach us is that we can learn from each other’s journeys. With that, realization that everyone has a story that needs to be heard and appreciated. I would personally like to thank Mr. Christopher Ferry for sharing his story with The Abler. May you continue on spreading your message of hope and perseverance with our readers. We appreciate you, and we wish you the absolute best as you continue onward on your journey to recovery and living life to the absolute fullest! Founder of The Abler Blog, and it’s an online community. -Jessica Niziolek.

Theses Photos are the personal property of Christopher Ferry. 

If You, or somone you love is struggling with addiction, you can connect with Mr Ferry, and his strusted staff here for support: Boca Recovery Center