I’m Scott Kalan and I have been clean and sober for over 35 years.

My addiction started when I was 11 years old. It quickly manifested into total unmanageability. I lost interest in school and became a person who lied, cheated, stole and manipulated my way through life. I became a person that I despised. I wanted to stop desperately and couldn’t. In my heart I wanted to do well but my addiction was stronger than my heart. I literally did not have a choice.

I suffered for many years. But one day, I started to see a way out. And as happens so often in recovery, a relationship made all the difference. For me, it was my father, who was early in his own sobriety journey. One night a friend of mine was about to run away and spent the night at our house. My father convinced my friend to go to rehab that night. Something stirred in me and I asked to go to a 12 step meeting with my Dad. I was 16, and this started my journey into a life that I didn’t know could exist.

It was rough in the beginning, I would put together 30 days and slip. Luckily I would go to a meeting the next day and say I had relapsed and the loving people in the fellowship just said “keep coming back”. I did this a few times and finally I started to work with a sponsor and learned to simply follow direction. I wanted to use all the time, but I would go to a meeting everyday, sometimes two a day, call my sponsor, pray and talk to other addicts and alcoholics. I started to make friends and really felt part of something.

As I put some time together I realized that what gave me the most pleasure was helping others. I started volunteering to go to prisons and rehab facilities to carry my message of recovery to others. I started sponsoring people and realized that I had a gift of connecting with others. I did interventions for family and friends over the years and the gratitude that they showed me was evidence that this was something I had to do. A critical relationship made all the difference for me, and I revel in being that connection and support for others.

For the last 30 plus years I have never stopped going to meetings and have been in continuous service. It is the joy of my life. I have been married for 25 years and have a 24 year old son, who has never seen me take a drink or drug. When I wake up in the morning I have something that I never take for granted…a choice!