Budd’s testimony about his son Will’s opioid addiction and recovery:

Will was born in 1988, the youngest of my two sons. The top picture is Will on the left and my older son James on the right. Will or Willie was a very easy going child, joyful and a pleasure to be around. He was shy and introverted around people he did not know. Will grew up surrounded by a loving family which he always kept close to his heart. As he grew Will was challenged, like most children / teens with the pressure of achieving in school and sports, however school and sports were not his interests. Will was an independent free spirit with an adventurous side. When he was in high school he was the lead vocalist in a band and he was a hands-on person who really enjoyed working on cars, especially performance modifications. Our home was the automotive garage for many of my son’s friends.

After high school Will tried out college and also went through an HVAC Technicians program. At age 19, Will was offered a job opportunity to work at a large corporation. Unfortunately, he did not pass the drug screening. Afterwards, Will took a job working for a landscape / construction company. He later moved out of my home to his own apartment with his girlfriend at that time. That is when things started falling apart for Will. When he tried to get off Opioids Will used a drug called Suboxone to decrease the severity of the withdrawal symptoms while trying to reduce his dependence on the Opioids.

 In June of 2016, Will lost his job due to his drug addiction.  Later I met with Will and told him that I did not know who he was anymore and he needed to get help. He agreed. Will had struggled with using drugs for years separating himself from his family and friends.  As his father I tried to help Will address his addiction, but it took the loss of his job and me telling him that I did not know him anymore in order for him to admit himself to a drug rehabilitation faciltiy.  Will realized that he had hurt many people with this drug addiction to Opioids.

Will’s previous landscaping company did not offer any health insurance, nor did Will put a priority on his job, paying bills and advancing to better job employment, all due to his drug addiction.

Once Will hit rock bottom, I tried to help him purchase health insurance, but he did not qualify because of his age and he was outside of the enrollment period at that time.  After a long search, I found an affordable rehabilitation program in Florida for Will to get better and so he went in September of 2016.

During his detox period Will went through psychosis and needed to be transferred to a local hospital’s emergency room.  It was that hospital that got Will safely through one of the most dangerous parts of his detox. After being discharged from the hospital he got through the first 30 day phase of detox. The next phase was supposed to be a 3 month rehabilitation at the same facility. Will called me about not wanting to go through the next phase. His reason was the rehabilitation facility was a revolving door for drugs with easy access to Opioids from the street with dealers distributing them to any of the patients there.

In the October of 2016, Will flew home early to complete his rehabilitation at home with his family. He realized how fortunate he was to have loving parents, family and friends.  Will’s support system was huge and for that he felt truly blessed.

While living at home Will focused on his health and wanted to discuss his addiction with anyone who would listen, even strangers. He quickly formulated the practice of avoiding any idle time which was a weakness for him, so he got into working out and eating healthy. As he recovered Will found employment at a different major corporation in 2017 as a Pipe Fitter. He also met his present girlfriend, Melissa. Will started excelling at his job and got into Bodybuilding that he now shares with Melissa. Eventually he moved out to his own place near my home. Recently, Will entered his first Bodybuilding Competition held in Boston. He placed 2nd in one category and 3rd in another. Will’s family was there to cheer him on! At work he has recently been promoted to an Operations Analyst.

Will has found a new life for himself and I could not be more proud of my son’s recovery. He has turned himself into a strong young man determined to have a productive life. Most parents would do anything for their children, but at some point they need to take responsibility for themselves. Finally, Will has figured out how to love himself and the others around him. I consider myself truly blessed to have both of my sons alive and doing well.