My name is Mark Western, and I am an alcoholic. At 12 years old I picked up my first drink which ended up being my first blackout. I quickly found myself addicted to alcohol and drugs. A disease of the mind and body that became unbearable.
On September 10, 2021, I fell off a second-story balcony drunk. I had 3 different breaks in my elbow, several dislocations in my wrist, a broken bone in my wrist, and a torn ACL, followed by a torn meniscus. Still, this wasn’t enough. I dedicated my life at the time to continue numbing not just the present physical issue, but the emotional and spiritual maladies from years prior. About one month after the fall, I had a moment of vulnerability with a friend, and the change began.
On October 27, 2021, I was admitted into treatment. At this point, my life was completely unmanageable. Afterward, I decided to continue strengthening sobriety at Release, to build a foundation of freedom from alcohol and drugs. This is life or death. Thankfully, I have been given the chance to choose between the two for the time being.
I have made a full recovery physically, but treating my alcoholism is a daily reprieve. I am now 1 year sober, and God-willing, 1 year and one day tomorrow. There are plenty of things I can do to make life enjoyable and worth living. One of those things has been training with the community at Release to run the New York City Marathon.
Let’s make real change together. This is about saving lives. A donation will go towards helping those who can’t afford life-saving treatment. My mission in life is to do what I can to help those who are still suffering. It's time to give back what was so freely given to me.
