My story

It’s no coincidence that I know exactly how to help an addict and his or her family. I am an expert through my personal experiences; I was addicted to alcohol and drugs. These addictions destroyed everything. I managed to control my addiction and rebuild my whole life. You too can do this and I am more than happy to help.

My story begins like a fairytale: I had a very nice childhood. I grew up in Westervoort, a small village next to the city of Arnhem (The Netherlands). My father financially provided for our family; he was an outpatient trader, or just a market buyer in curtain fabrics. My mother took care of me and my two year younger brother. So far nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. However now I see that I always felt different compared to other children.

The hard core

When it was twenty five degrees outside and all my friends were playing outside, I was sitting alone. In front of the TV. I already had an unhealthy fascination for money and crime. Watching tv was compulsive because I had to see everything it had to offer. When I turned twelve, I started to go out more. My father was a big fan of the football club Vitesse and had season tickets. On a Sunday afternoon I was allowed to come to the harde kern (Hooligan’s-core) with my dad for the first time. They fought, drank a lot of alcohol and fired off a lot of fireworks. I admired them and said to my father, “I also want to be part of this.” At sixteen years old I succeeded. This wasn’t without its challenges, because I’m only a little man. Back then I was already practical and had to find large friends to protect myself. Together with them I stole bikes and mopeds. Just for the rush, then I drank a lot of alcohol.

Not Communicating

My parents were fantastic. But there was one thing they could not do: communicate. At our home there was no talk about feelings or emotions. As a teenager growing up I never learned this. As soon as my dad came home from the market, we had no good conversations. He drank a beer and by the time dinner was served, that beer had turned into a lot more beers. But he did not become annoying nor did he upset anyone, “so what does it matter?” Only now do I see that he was a heavy drinker.

The first time XTC

My drinking was still within the limits, I thought. Though there was a significant difference with my peers of the same age. After going out they went home at around two o’clock. Not me. I still got some beer at the nightcafeteria. The more, the better, was my motto at the time. When I was eighteenth I came in contact with XTC for the first time. At a house party, Rave the City on the Beach, I took half of an XTC-pill. I initially did not notice any effects, so I took another half. In the end, I had been bouncing around on that stuff for two whole days. And I was sold. I fell in love with the energy that that little pill gives you. The first time is so special. Throughout my life I have been looking for this feeling, the happiness of a very first high. That blissful feeling disappears like snow in front of the sun when you look at the consequences … After that conscious evening I used xtc more often when going out. Soon I switched to coke, because then I could drink more alcohol and it gave me some rest. Even in criminality, despite my length, I grew bigger. I sold illegal fireworks, sold fake clothes and illegal CDs and broke into companies. Money flew out of my pockets, all towards expensive clothes, thick golden chains, a beautiful car and my friends – all this just to be liked.

(Being Mr. Average and drugs)

You may think I’m crazy after reading this, but I still had everything more or less under control. I graduated from the secondary education at the retailschool and subsequently worked for my father. Together we stood on the market Monday till Friday. The rest of my income came from criminal activities, which meant I could live a comfortable life-style. When I was twenty-two I met my (now ex-) wife. Two years later we bought a house and got married. I started drinking more and using more coke, because then I could drink even more. At this point I used drugs every day. My parents discovered this aspect of my life and sought help at a regular institution in Arnhem. Once a week I had to head over for a meeting and make a list of what I used and how much. It did not help at all. That is when I discovered that addiction care had to be approached differently.

The birth of my sons and my other personalities

My first entered this world when I was twenty-five. Every well-deserving person would stop using drugs at this point in their life. I on the other hand started using more and developed five personalities for myself: father, businessman, criminal, husband and addict. This put me under so much pressure that I started using more and more drugs. My dealer was my best friend and vice versa. He realized that I tried to hide my drug usage from my wife and put the deliveries of drugs in the mailbox or under the door mat. As soon as I heard the mailbox clap, my heart jumped. Of course my wife realized I used drugs. A lot of drugs. To keep her happy I spent money on her. This way she could fill the void with shopping. Meanwhile, the mailbox stock was no longer sufficient. I used drugs throughout the day and had my dealer deliver the drugs on the market. Even when I became the father to my second son eighteen months later, I continued to use drugs.

The loss of my father and myself

Every Friday afternoon I went to my father. When I was twenty-eight, doctors told us that he had lung cancer and that it would not get any better. My solution? Use more drugs. We took an au pair home for the children so that my wife and I could take over my father’s business. A few months later, he died. My mother and wife were with him. Not me. I was driven to the hospital heavily under the influence of coke. I was the first to walk into his room full of bravado, but as soon as I saw him, I ran out crying. I could not handle it. After his death, it went even further downhill. I would stay up entire nights. If I had to go to the dealer, I would put my two children in the back of the car and jump behind the wheel with beer. My sons found all the cut straws in the house and left lines on the counter. I didn’t let anybody or anything stop me. I stole from everyone. Even the boys’ piggy banks were not safe. My wife was tired of seeing my slide further and further away and wanted a divorce. In order to rescue my marriage, I went to a 12-step clinic in Amsterdam and then three weeks to a London clinic. It did not help. I thought, if I do this right now, I’ll have my marriage back. Wrong. After being accepted into the clinic I went home and broke contact with my dealer. I spent a lot of times with the kids, looked well, and my wife started trusting me again. After half a year I wandered back down the dark path.

Back to square one

My wife and I went to a party. She wanted to go home early and trusted me enough to let me stay. Right when you think you’ll never use again you slip and fall back down. One beer could not hurt right? Five minutes and two beers later, I called the dealer. From that moment on I used again every day. The divorce was soon finalized and I lived with my mother again. I spent all my money on alcohol and drugs and I had to sell my house. I also used GHB, which caused wild sexual expulsions. I went to places you’d rather not go. Due to a lack of money, I also used cheaper drugs like speed, weed and xtc.

The end

Crack would mean the end. As I had nothing to lose, I went to the pipe. I had no contact with my children, I had no normal friends anymore and work was also long gone. I could only think of scoring drugs. A former neighbor brought me to a regular healthcare institution, where they wanted to teach me to use drugs in a controlled matter. This had no effect. My life was a sad affair: I did not sleep, sat in a dirty crack house and was unable to gather five euros together with three other grown men for a gram of speed. By this time it was Christmas 2008. The plan was to eat at my moms’ and see my children again. I never showed up. Until January 2nd I did not sleep, when I woke up I was found unconscious in the corridor of a crack house. When I woke up, I started using again right away. Even with my mother present. I had already sold her laptop and TomTom, she was so tired of my behavior that she put me out the house, on the street. She did not want to see me anymore. My old company car became my new home.

“HELP”

At the grace of my mother, I was allowed to sleep in her house for one night. I was a mess, spiritually, physically and financially. That night I wanted to jump in front of a train. Just in time, I realized that my old phone was in the closet which contained the number of the director of the 12-Step clinic in Amsterdam. In the middle of the night I sent a text: “HELP”. That was my surrender. The manager called me and still knew who I was. On February 2nd I was in his clinic. Until then, I stayed with my mother, where I isolated myself from everything and everyone. When it was finally time to go to the clinic, my sister in law gave me a train ticket to Amsterdam and five euros. I only took a couple of old clothes I still had with my to the clinic. My stay was free of charge because I had nothing left in the world. The director came inside and only asked: ​​”Are you done?” You bet I was. “Okay, then stick with the winners,” he said. That always stayed with me because it’s so true. I was allowed to stay for three weeks, which I wanted incredibly badly. If they had told me that I could only stay clean by picking up all the cigarettes in the Kalverstraat with my bare hands (and there are quite a few), I would have done it right away. I was there for myself. Only Peter mattered.

Openness, willingness and honesty

I took my recovery very seriously. The12-step clinic revolved around openness, willingness and honesty. I learned a lot and after my stay I did not want to return to Arnhem. The director of the clinic offered me a living space for a month. I stuck with my recovery: visited at least two meetings a day, searched a sponsor, did charity work and moved to a safehouse after that first month. After three months of recovery I could see my children again after such a long time. Meanwhile they were five and seven years old at this point. I had lost everything to drugs. I had debts, I had to rebuild all my relationships and fought harder than ever to get regain my life. I got a job in a bicycle shop and all my new friends were in the same boat. In the clinic I did volunteered as a peer supporter. That gave me such an incredibly good feeling. At last I could help others. I will always stay a merchant at heart; I can make turn one euro into two euros. But that no longer brings me any joy. I want to continue in addiction care.

Clean and sober for over eight years; ready to help you

Meanwhile I have been clean and sober for over eight years now. A totally different person. In the past my life only consisted of taking, now I can give and receive. I have a nice house in IJsselstein, where I live with my sweet girlfriend. The relationship with my children, mother, family and ex-wife have been restored. Now, like no other, I know how to deal with addiction, and am more than willing to help everybody who’s influenced by the disease of addiction.