179 - Fatih Penda - His journey intro recovery and how his upbringing could have held him back

Real Recovery Talk

“I’m able to get high on life with sobriety.” -Faith Penda

Today, Ben and I are chatting to Fatih Penda, a long-term addict who has recovered and is now leading a drug and alcohol-free life. Leading to building a recovery center, Fatih is now leading other adults into recovery and positive life.

Fatih’s Background with Drugs and Alcohol

Born in Salem, Massechuessets with a Muslim upbringing, Fatih always felt different than everyone else. Although his uncle did drink, he isn’t sure where his addiction comes from. “Throughout high school I started taking drinking to the next level, then using and abusing drugs and taking that to the next level,” where he went back and forth between drugs and alcohol.

Spending his summers overseas in Turkey, Fatih understood and spoke two languages fluently, going to school in Turkey and the US. “It was always hard to adjust when I came back to school after the summer.” In his eighth grade year, he found out he was going to start high school in Turkey. With no drinking age, he was able to smoke and drink whenever he wanted to.

Picking Up his First Drink and Getting into Addiction

He would experiment with different drugs and return to the United States for his freshman year of college. Fatih found himself treating life as an adult, and it was hard to get back in with his jock friends and the circle of athletes he previously hung out with. Fatih’s friend gave him acid, and he started tripping in classes, and his drug use escalated from there. Moving onto cocaine and other drugs, including prescription drugs, Fatih’s addiction spiraled out of control.

Fatih’s First Experience with Addiction Treatment

The Muslim culture doesn’t understand addiction and the concept that addicts can’t just stop their addiction. His parents sent him back to Turkey, in an attempt to get him away from the environment that was supporting his addiction. However, Fatih found a way to get prescription drugs cheap and was hooked on Xanax for weeks, eventually ending up in a mental health facility.

Listen in and find how Fatih received sobriety through the 12 Step Program from AA, action steps you can take to start your journey into sobriety, and how sobriety has changed his viewpoint and perspective on life.

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Show Notes:

[04:30] Fatih’s early years and his upbringing.

[10:00] Returning back to the states for his college education.

[15:00] His first attempt at recovery from his addiction.

[19:02] Going to a Scientology recovery center for his second treatment.

[28:49] Action steps you can take to make your first move into sobriety.

[33:56] Witnessing the journey from addiction to sobriety.

[35:44] Fatih talks about his upcoming heart surgery.

[38:37] What saved Fatih from crashing and burning on drugs and alcohol.

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