Recently, my little brother joined the Navy. My reaction: Thank God. Before this dramatic change, Stephen was getting himself into all kinds of trouble. It started back in High School. I think he was a sophomore, junior maybe. Anyways, it was a terrible time in his life.

It started with simple drugs. I say simple like it was nothing, although at the time it was a big something. Marijuana. What do you know, the beginners choice. Now Im not saying that Im perfect by any means. Tons of us, myself included, have tried it. Some use it recreationally, some habitually. Stephen was way worse than habitually. He was seemingly unable to live without it.

He hid it well at the beginning. He was going over to his friends houses after school, coming in late at night and sneaking down to his room in the basement. I was the first one to catch him, actually. I was downstairs on the family computer working on a research paper for school, when he strolled in. I knew immediately he was smoking something. His eyes were bloodshot; he wasnt talking to me (for fear of sounding high). I had no problem letting him know how I felt. I promised him that if I found him like this again, dad would become involved. Unfortunately, dad became involved. It was very traumatic for our family, we wanted to help him, but things got worse and worse. He started doing horrible in school, he wrecked his car, he was mean and nasty, and his habit was growing. Eventually, he moved in with our aunt and uncle who helped him complete school. After high school was over he ran away from home. At first nobody knew where he was but he finally called, living in a rundown apartment with his drug addict friend miles from home. Drugs were ruling his life and he was letting them.

Oxycodone turned into his drug of choice. He would steal anything that he could get his hands on in order to get enough money to take his drugs. He told me once that a close second on his drug list was Heroine. Scary.

After awhile, he promised us he would quit, time and time again. But he could never pull through. Until one day when he decided that he had just had enough. He had been through fight after fight (it was so bad that he had to carry pepper spray with him for protection), not having a home, spending every cent that he got on drugs, and finally realizing on his own that he had hit rock bottom. He put himself into rehab, spent a summer cutting grass, and headed for the Navy in December of 2007.

Its been a year now, and we are hoping that he will make a career out of the Navy. Stephen is a very smart kid who before drugs was a straight A student. He did excellent in boot camp and A school, graduating at the very top of his class. Now out to sea, he is learning his new position, how to protect his country with and without weapons, and can feel a sense of accomplishment. Hes had 2 promotions already and is dedicated to ranking as high as possible.

I am proud of him, in every way possible. He is evidence that drugs do destroy families and lives; but only if you let them.