Past Intervention participant, Jason B answers YOUR questions!
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March 24, 2010 at 11:32am
Jason was on a past season of Intervention. He completed his 90 days in rehab and has been clean & sober since. He answered your questions about his recovery journey. Thanks to everyone who participated!</I>
Q: During the video they said Jason had been through rehab several times before. Is Jason still sober? If so is he happy with himself where he is in life now?
Jason: Yes I am still sober, and currently living in Colorado, however I still am having troubles finding work it seems because I have exposed my past people still judge me. I am very happy with myself.
Q: Is the family back together and all sober? And, how does Jason reward himself now?
Jason: My family is gratefully back together and has not been as close as we are now in ten years. I reward myself by eliminating the negativity in my life by communicating with sober friends and staying busy with outdoor sports.
Q: What is it that Jason does on a daily basis that keeps them from slipping? What does he do about urges?
Jason: My daily motivation to keep from slipping is to easily remind myself of the pain vie caused I and family and what a wonderful life I have now. About my urges, I do have them and thanks to my loving family and friends I can actually call myself out and talk. I also find some form of meditation.
Q: Are you still sober? After you got out of prison and you turned your life around, what was your motivation to fall off the wagon, and did you consider getting psychological counseling to help you with your self esteem problems?
Jason: After prison I was clean and bought my first house, I celebrated by finding drugs and thought I could stop, and with the psychological help once I am high there is no way for that concept to even cross my mind.
Q: How has the family dynamic changed since?
Jason: I have an open and honest relationship with them. I can actually sit down with my dad and have a normal conversation not worrying about stealing or any kind of scams just so they could support my habit.
Q: What was it like, what happened, and what is it like now?
Jason: Heroin was my soul mate that killed the life around me. I finally had enough it’s been a tough struggle however by throwing the drugs away it’s like I’ve been reborn.
Q: Your family was very religious; did this hinder your recovery in any way?
Jason: Yes very religious, everyone has their own beliefs and gods, I am a Christian and obviously someone is looking out for me without my faith I don’t think I would be the man I am today.
Q: Jason, how does it feel to walk into an intervention and realize that your family took part in nationally broadcasting your addiction? Does it motivate you to choose sobriety?
Jason: At first it was kind of embarrassing, I was so high when I walked through those doors I really did not know how to react, and yes it motivates me to see my family did that for me.
Q: Why is family often such an easy trigger for an addict's relapse?
Jason: This is my own opinion: Because I am an addict it’s hard to gain their trust back and sometimes constantly keeping an eye on me which I don’t blame them but it makes me feel like im sixteen all over again.
Q: What was it like to have your addiction aired on TV and how has it changed your life?
Jason: You know it has its pros and cons, people still look at me like I’m the same guy on the streets hustling to get money and still a junkie. In conclusion it’s the best thing that’s not only happened to me and my family but to those families and children to see that they are not alone and there is help out there if you are willing to admit you have a problem and are willing to take the step to learn how to live without drugs and face life on its own terms without hiding in the dark alley of depression and loneliness. Before my intervention i always said if I could share my story to classroom of fifty kids and one of them grew up not to do what I did, I then know I saved at least one person’s life.
Q: What’s the best advice you have for a recovering addict?
Jason: There is life after drugs. Never give up, and always believe in yourself.
Q: What was your motivation for agreeing to go to rehab?
Jason: I did not want to die; I didn’t want to be dependent on a drug the rest of my life.
Q: Was there a point in time where you didn’t think you could go through with the 90 days?
Jason: Yes more than one point.
Q: Did you meet anyone in rehab that you remain close to that helps you stay motivated?
Jason: I keep in contact with six people including the staff.
Q: How has the show changed your views on recovery?
Jason: Intervention is as real as it gets, it shows people at their lowest and what it takes slowly adapt to life. The show gets to the point of how serious this disease is.
Q: Is there such a thing as a gateway drug? If so, what was yours?
Jason: Alcohol
Q: How did you come to terms with letting your guilt go about the Columbine shooting?
Jason: Communication is the key for me I cannot hold a bag of guilt in shame kept inside me. So express my feelings before I let them take over.
Q: Did you consider a career in counseling after going through rehab?
Jason: Yes, my friend and I actually have website we are currently working on. I’d like to give back by sending people to thru rehab I went to. The purpose of this is to help people that cannot afford to go or they don’t know what direction to go, or people that are scared we can give advice and help anyway we can. But there a couple of dilemmas we have never done anything like this before so if I can get some feedback on peoples thoughts and views we would greatly appreciate it
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]About Jason's episode:
Jason grew up in a seemingly perfect upper-middle class family in Littleton, Col., but he struggled to gain his father's approval. When Jason failed to make the baseball team his freshman year, Jason and his father were devastated. Jason began rollerblading and excelled, but he quit because his father disapproved of the sport. Jason turned to drugs and by his senior year he was an addict. A year later, the Columbine High School shooters named Jason one of the bullies they retaliated against. Overcome with guilt and grief for his dead classmates, Jason's addiction escalated. Now Jason lives on the streets of Denver, and his family is in pieces.
Subject: Jason the Columbine bully (Was: Cullen, what about Jason?) 
Mon Jul 13, 2015 9:34 pm
