The story revolves around Joshua, a 34-year-old man who struggles with addiction, particularly to hand sanitizer. His mother shares his life story, describing him as a smart, intelligent, and successful individual who had a happy childhood. However, after a back surgery, Joshua became addicted to painkillers and eventually turned to street drugs. His addiction led to the breakdown of his marriage, job loss, and estrangement from his children.
Joshua's mother expresses her fear for his life, as he has been hospitalized multiple times due to his addiction. She recalls how Joshua's addiction changed him, making him violent and paranoid. A turning point comes when Joshua's family stages an intervention, and he agrees to seek help.
Joshua checks into a treatment center, where he begins his journey towards recovery. He acknowledges the challenges he faces, including the temptation of hand sanitizer, which is easily accessible. Despite a brief relapse, Joshua is determined to overcome his addiction and reclaim his life. The story ends on a hopeful note, with Joshua's mother expressing pride and relief as he takes the first steps towards recovery.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Joshua is a 34-year-old man living in Raleigh, North Carolina.
2. Joshua was born six weeks premature and was a happy baby.
3. Joshua's parents were not together when he was born, but his mother raised him from the age of 2 to 15 with his father.
4. Joshua was a well-mannered kid growing up and never got into trouble.
5. Joshua moved to Florida with his mother when he was 15 years old.
6. Joshua flourished in Florida, taking music lessons and excelling in school.
7. Joshua went to college and didn't drink or smoke.
8. Joshua got a job at a convenience store at 19 and was happy and funny.
9. Joshua's mother was not thrilled when Joshua started dating an older woman at 19.
10. Joshua and his partner had children, and Joshua became a father at a young age.
11. Joshua bought a house at 21 and got a good job.
12. Joshua got promoted and was in charge of 14 convenience stores.
13. Joshua had gastric bypass surgery to help with weight loss.
14. Joshua was prescribed hydrocodone for back issues and started using it in a way that was not prescribed.
15. Joshua started using street drugs after his prescription ran out.
16. Joshua's addiction became his top priority, and he was drunk all the time.
17. Joshua's mother found out that he was drinking hand sanitizer.
18. Joshua would drink 12 to 28 ounces of hand sanitizer per day.
19. Joshua's health has been affected by drinking hand sanitizer, including seizures, life support, and almost going blind.
20. Joshua has been in the hospital over a dozen times in the last few months.
21. Joshua's family is afraid that he will die from his addiction.
22. Joshua's mother is urging him to seek help and turn his life around.
23. Joshua has decided to go to a treatment center to get help for his addiction.
24. The treatment center has removed all hand sanitizer to help Joshua recover.
25. Joshua is hoping to learn how to abstain from hand sanitizer and is feeling physically fine and remembering things better in treatment.