Drug and alcohol treatment facilities hear every tale of how substance abuse begins among the addicted. Some have mental health disorders like depression they are trying to numb the symptoms of, others were trying to fit in with the “in crowd” at their school or work, and others were only trying to blow off a little steam when they were stressed or anxious. The one thing that all of these different beginnings have in common is that each of these are real life instances of how substance abuse and addiction can start. Many seem innocent enough, but all can spiral out of control very quickly and chemical dependency can take over your mind and body before you know it.
There was nothing innocent left about Theo Fleury by the time he finally admitted himself to drug and alcohol treatment. Theo Fleury is a former professional hockey player from Canada who had a tremendous 14 year career in the NHL- a career plagued by a dark, painful secret. Fleury had been abusing drugs and alcohol from a very young age which perplexed many in his life. Here was a gifted young man who was tormented by inner demons that drove him to use and abuse most anything he could get his hands on. It wasn’t until after being kicked off of the New York Rangers in 2003 that Fleury finally agreed to attend drug and alcohol treatment, where he knew he’d have to come face to face with what had been haunting him all of those years.
We mentioned a few common beginnings of addiction earlier in the blog, but there was a much more traumatic start to Theo Fleury’s tale. Theo Fleury had been repeatedly molested by his junior hockey coach from adolescence on. Child abuse is one of those increased risk factors for addiction that no one likes to talk about because it’s often devastating and messy. It drove Fleury to engage in decades of substance abuse in an effort to escape those painful memories that brought him to his knees every time he was faced with them. Drug and alcohol treatment forced him to finally confront what had happened to him all those years ago and learn to work through and eventually let go of the feelings of shame, guilt and resentment he carried with him throughout much of his adult life. Once clean and sober, Theo Fleury took things one step further. After successfully recovering from his addiction, he choose to follow the 12-step tenet of service and became a global ambassador for both child abuse prevention and awareness as well as substance abuse prevention and addiction.
Florida Drug and Alcohol Treatment
Destination Hope is a full service drug and alcohol treatment facility for men with substance abuse issues in Florida. Theo Fleury endured horrible pain and suffering as a child which led him to a life of drugs and alcohol not to mention a premature end to an otherwise successful pro hockey career. Let Theo be an example to the world to show that there is life after addiction and we have the power within ourselves to battle even the most overwhelming of our demons. If you or a man in your life needs some support with alcoholism or substance abuse, please call us today at 1-877-380-9777. Together, we can change the world, starting with ourselves.
