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Instructor: So tell us your name? Alex: I'm Alex.
Instructor: Alex… wonderful. How long have you been here?
Alex: Umm… seven and a half weeks.
Instructor: Seven and a half weeks… And how old are you?
Alex: I'm almost, about to be, 18. I'm 17 right now.
Instructor: Wonderful, great. So what brought you to WinGate?
Alex: (Laughs) uh...
Extreme drug abuse, alcohol abuse, not getting on with my parents,
and being defiant.
um… just not listening to any rules. I didn't think they applied to me
um...
Pretty much everything a kid,
parent doesn't want their kid to do,
I did do. Instructor: Alright.
and uh...
Do you feel like you've learned what you want to learn here?
Alex: I've learned a lot 0:00:48.650,0:00:549.150 So, yes. Instructor: Share with us
some of the things that you've learned about Alex.
Alex: About myself? Instructor: Yeah.
uh...
I've learned a lot about, like, of the facade that I've put up for so many years. And like, sucked
so many emotions down
that I actually have those emotions, and I do care about things.
'Cause, like, I used to use, like, 'I don't care,'
and, like, 'It doesn't really matter,'
but, like, I do care.
and
I learned that I'm not as independent as I wanted to believe
I learned, I learned, to be grateful for my friends and family-
the good friends that I had-
and that most of my friends that I did have weren't really friends.
I learned, uh...
just a lot about myself. Like, how
to deal more healthy,
healthily… Is that a word? Instructor: Yeah. It can be. (Laughing). Yeah.
Alex: with emotions
and, um...
how to, just like
have emotions and not, like...
Deal with things without being on drugs essentially, I guess.
Being sober, and...
Instructor: That's an important lesson, isn't it? Alex: Yeah.
It's a lot harder than
when you're so used to doing drugs for so long, it's a lot harder to, like, just
do everything soberly
than you think it is.
But it honestly, like, saved my life, 'cause I guess I realized
I guess that it took me out of, like, the
environment I was in
and I saw everything I was doing wrong
and how I, like, have a choice
to do everything and, like,
how I didn't have to party all the time and, like,
I didn't have to, like,
just be that defiant to, like, be happy,
and, like, get what I want
and, uh… so just taking out-
yourself out of the environment and being out here in, like, the wilderness, you learn a lot about
yourself
but also, like,
what you're doing wrong and, like,
how you can fix it.
And how in the future
you can take yourself out of the environment without having to come back
to the wilderness, if that make sense.
Instructor: Uh, huh. Sure it does. Is this your first program you've been in?
Alex: Yeah.
Well, I was in an outpatient rehab program when I was
back in Arizona,
but I didn't really care,
as I said.
So, like, I still did drugs, just as much or more while I was in that program.
Instructor: So it took coming here? Alex: Yeah.
I would have ran, like,
have you ever read The Lost Years? Instructor: Yes, uh huh.
Alex: I would have been like that girl; I would have ran away from any
other program that you, like residential facility, you would put me. I would have
found a way out, like, I was very
manipulative and very good at getting what I wanted, and doing anything in my power to do
that, and like,
here I've had to, like,
lessen my control and, like, learn how to deal with, like,
things I don't want to deal with like if that makes sense. Like hiking, I hate to hike. But, like,
you gotta do it, and like, you just have to have a good attitude about it and
more things are mental than, like, you think that they are.
Instructor: That's great insight you've gained there. Alex: I would have, um,
I definitely would have just
not been where I am now if I would have
been put in, probably, any other program. Instructor: Great.
What kind of advice would you give future
people who may come to WinGate?
Alex: Oh, take every day as
an opportunity because
you're not here for that long. And, like, it may seem like it's forever
but, like, you learn things
every day. And, like, just enjoy being here.
And, like, it actually, like you're going to miss your family and you're going to miss home
and you're gonna wonder what everything's going on,
where your from, but like
this is like a great opportunity to get yourself out of the environment, have no stress,
like,
have no
triggers, have no, like,
just like
constant...
I guess stress is the right word for it.
But, um,
just enjoy everyday, learn as much as you can and, like,
don't future trip, like,
I've had a hard time doing that, 'cause I just, like,
I'm ready to get back and
experience life, but I just say
worry about the present - not the past, not the future - but just the present on how you
can succeed and, like,
how you can make it the most, like, make the most out of the moment.
Instructor: Great. That's beautiful advise.
Alex: And, also
Stay clean. (Laughs)
And brush your hair.
Instructor: Awesome, thank you.
uh... What
what challenge have you had since you've been here, that's been really hard to overcome, but you've overcome it,
and how did you do it?
Alex: My hardest challenge being here was solo.
Honestly, I spent six days, five days, by myself.
and, um,
I always like to be around people. It distracts me from, like,
all the thoughts and, like,
emotions that I have, ya know?
And, like, I don't really like to feel like I have
emotions
at all.
So, solo was really hard because I had to deal with, like, my past, like, what I'm going to do in the
future, and like,
the present - everything without talking to anyone else and having to just
sit with my own thoughts. That was a really hard challenge.
But, like, I overcame it because first of all I knew it wasn't going to be forever.
Second of all, like, I learned a lot more by myself than I do, like, around people
because I learned, like,
there's nothing to distract me. It was all me,
like, dealing with my own issues.
i couldn't blame anything on anyone else. It was all me. So, like, I really took a look on, like,
how organized, how, like,
much, like,
I socialize. Just, like things that you wouldn't really
take a look at when you're with other people, because it's so easy to get
caught up in, like, what's going on around you.
But when you have to, like,
completely remove yourself from not even having any people around you and having to do,
think, and
do everything on your, completely
on your own,
then
it's a really big challenge,
but you learn a lot.
Instructor: Very good. Sounds like you've gained a lot of insight since you've been here.
Alex: Uh, I'd say so.
I hope so.
I have. Instructor: Definitely, definitely.
Wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing a part of your journey with us. We wish you
lots of lots of happiness and success
Alex: Thank you.
I appreciate it.