I had lost my brother, he may have been there physically, but in every other way he was gone. I began to resent him and I did not even count him as my brother anymore. He was a complete stranger.
It did not take long before my brother to get kicked out of my mom's house and then my dad’s. He was living in his car and was considered to be homeless. Seeing your sibling homeless really hurts, but the denying of rehab over and over, name calling, hurtful words, punched through walls, ripped off doors and anger became too much for us all to handle. Maybe this would make Derek hit rock bottom. Maybe being homeless would be the answer to this awful problem. He had no other choice but to take help eventually. As hard as it was for my parents to see their son living in his car, they knew they were doing the right thing in the long run.
The day my brother called my mom at four in the morning saying he wanted to go to rehab was the best day of my life. For many people they would think that having a brother go into rehab was a bad thing. I have never been more proud of my older brother. He decide
to go to a nine month long program that was for young adults with substance abuse problems. This was not easy and I
do not know if I could have done it myself. To leave everyone he loved, to have no phone and no freedom for nine months is really scary, and I admire how he gave up everything to fix the situation he got himself into. He was finally taking responsibility and not blaming everyone except himself. I do not know many people who could do this, but I am not surprised that he was able to do it because he truly is the strongest person I know. I will continue to look up to him.
Having come from an amazing family and upbringing, it is hard to understand how we got here. Having a brother who is a drug addict but also coming from a beautiful life is confusing. How did we get here? It has taught me a lot and it has showed me that everyone and every family has its issues. Unfortunately substance abuse can happen to anybody no matter how much you have going for yourself. Also, forgiveness is the most important thing when having somebody you love in the process of recovery. I forgave my brother for putting my family through absolute hell, and I cannot wait to see what is in store for him. I know his future is bright and Derek has truly shown me what real courage is. I am so glad we got here.