PROJECT RECOVERY

How one man went from eleven years of sobriety to becoming an addict again

Jul 23, 2020, 12:52 PM | Updated: 3:00 pm

sobriety...

Casey Scott and Dr. Matt Woolley are joined by Keith Meyer to talk about his experience with abusing alcohol and how it caused him to relapse after eleven years of sobriety.

On the outside looking in, Keith Meyer had everything he could have wanted in life. He was a husband to a successful wife and a father of three kids. He owned his own marketing consulting company and it had proven to be very successful. But on the inside, Keith was struggling after experiencing eleven years of sobriety.

He was at war with himself due to the fact that his mental health began to deteriorate. Battles with depression and general anxiety, as well as a resurging alcohol addiction, proved too much for him to handle on his own.

Keith joined the Project Recovery podcast to recall how his life spiraled out of control after drinking again.

From sobriety to addict

“I relapsed twice this spring,” he said. “At night, when everyone went to bed, I [was] down in the tv room watching tv, drinking until two in the morning.”

His love for alcohol stems back to when he was thirteen years old. Alcohol quickly became a crutch for Keith after seeming to be “cool” while drinking with his different friend groups.

“You drank as a jock to be cool and you drank to fit in,” he explained. “It was very accepted with both groups of friends that I was hanging out with.”

Spiraling out of control

Over the years though, Keith’s experience with alcohol began to spiral out of control — causing him to reach out for help for the first time.

As an adult, Keith didn’t quite know where to turn to. “I tried some [Alcohol Anonymous] meetings. It just didn’t fit for me,” he described.

“I went into church to listen to my wife talk … and I had been to church maybe two times in three years with her,” he said. “That day I was there, a couple got up and said, ‘We’re here to announce a new 12-step program.'”

This just happened to be the sign that Keith was looking for to get back to sobriety.

“I went twelve weeks in a row. I joined the church three weeks later and I was sober for eleven years,” Keith explained.

Struggling to fix the problem

Six months prior to his most recent relapse, his wife, Brooke, spoke to him about the possibility that his mental health was in negative space. Keith agreed that he was depressed and anxious so he decided to visit a therapist to see if there were any underlying issues that he hadn’t addressed during his sobriety.

“I went to my doctor and got put on an anti-depressant. That didn’t work, so they doubled it,” he described. “That didn’t work.”

In his mind, Keith knew of something that could potentially fix his problems — alcohol.

“Nothing was working. I went and got a box of wine … and a pizza, sat in my car, and drank the box of wine,” he said.

For the first half-hour, all of Keith’s problems went away, along with his sobriety. All of the stress and anxiety of life began to deteriorate with every glass of wine. And just when he thought life had gotten better, the thoughts of shame and deceit began to fill his mind.

How was he going to hide the scent of the wine from his breath? What was he going to tell his wife? What if an officer pulled him over?

“The guilt, the shame, it’s just a crappy feeling,” Keith described. “The only way to make that go away is to drink some more.”

On the brink of death

He told his wife Brooke what had happened and they both decided to move forward and continue Keith’s road to recovery. For twenty-eight days, Keith didn’t have an ounce of alcohol. Unfortunately, things took a dark turn when all of life’s responsibilities caved back down onto him.

“I was drinking twelve, fifteen drinks a day, around my kids, pouring vodka into cans of sparkling water,” he said. “I was good at smuggling it in and lying.”

If Keith would have had it his way, his alcohol use would have continued as long as it could have but a month later, he had an annual physical with the family doctor. Once his blood work came back, his doctor quickly notified him that if he kept up with his drinking habits, he was going to drink himself to death.

Keith began his journey of recovery by detoxing at a treatment center in Utah. “I wanted to get help,” Keith explained. “I wanted to stop this addiction for good.”

Keith’s path to recovery and sobriety

Keith describes the program as a “fully integrated” approach to recovery. “They start with the brain and the biology,” Keith spoke about Ampelis, the recovery center he now swears by. “Someone showed me a picture of a prefrontal cortex brain that’s bright yellow and then one that’s [of] an addict and it’s just gone.”

The program is centered around repairing every aspect of someone’s life to get them back to sobriety. They focus on incorporating Amino acid and ketamine, an intravenous (IV) anesthetic that has been used medically for sedation, treatments to help ween clients away from their addictions. Then, with the help of proper diet and fitness, as well as family care for support, the client has experienced a full reset in the hopes of curbing addiction.

“Positive psychology is really the foundation of [Ampelis],” Keith said. “It was all about [being] good enough.”

Keith believes he now has better skills to manage his depressive disorders after spending twenty-six days at Ampelis. He has even been sober for over 60  days following his stay. With a new outlook on life, Keith now spends most of his time working and spending as much time with his family as he can. He’s also incredibly optimistic about being in recovery again.

“I wanted to live a normal life where I don’t wake up hungover every day or reliant on something,” he said. “I just wanted to feel good.”

Listen to the podcast to learn more about substance abuse awareness and alcohol addiction

For more information on addiction or if you or someone you know is struggling, you can find more information on Facebook, KSL TV, or from Use Only as Directed. To hear more from Casey Scott and Dr. Matt Woolley, you can listen below or subscribe to the ‘Project Recovery’ podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get major podcasts.

KSL 5 TV Live

Project Recovery

recovery...

Josh Tilton

How a Utah recovery center is innovating treatment for substance abuse

A Utah recovery center owner is redefining how others find recovery after he struggled to live a substance-free lifestyle for years. Jordan Burningham, who was once addicted to heroin and struggling to stay sober, is in charge of one of the leading innovative recovery centers in Utah. He’s currently 6 years sober himself and through […]

2 years ago

Instagram...

Josh Tilton

How Instagram became an outlet for a mother struggling with addiction

After struggling for years with being able to stay sober, Gentry Jones turned to Instagram to try and help curb her addiction to alcohol and get her on the road to recovery. Gentry, now a mother of four kids, began to experiment with alcohol throughout her teenage years. Her substance abuse began to escalate as […]

2 years ago

Tainted...

Josh Tilton

Utah artist on how his addiction help fueled the creation of his new single “Tainted”

Growing up in a traditional Utah household, Tyler Gould was living the all-American dream. He was active in multiple sports and even a member of the Church of Latter-Day Saints. But after getting an itch to sell extra ADD medicine that he had laying around when he was fourteen years old, his life would never […]

2 years ago

Project Recovery host Casey Scott talks to Sarah Frei about their experiences with drunk driving cr...

Ashley Moser & Jared Turner, KSL TV

Sarah Frei Gives Emotional Interview About Losing Legs In Crash

Project Recovery podcast host Casey Scott sat down with Sarah Frei, the young woman who lost both of her legs in a crash caused by a drunk driver.

3 years ago

Coming to understand what Casey Scott’s addiction was truly like for his children only came recen...

Aley Davis & Debbie Worthen, KSL TV

Addiction Through A Daughter’s Eyes: How Teen’s Letter Impacted Casey Scott

Addiction is a family disease. It doesn't just affect the individual struggling, but everyone who loves them. Former KSL-TV feature reporter Casey Scott took that message to heart after reading a paper written by his 16-year-old daughter, Preslee.

3 years ago

promote safe prescription drug use...

Josh Tilton

Helpful ways to promote safe prescription drug use with Know Your Script

SALT LAKE CITY — Between 2017-2020, Intermountain Healthcare has been successful in reducing opioids by 9.5 million fewer pills and reducing benzodiazepine and opioid co-prescribing by 49%. All the while, finding ways to promote safe prescription drug use for Utahns within our state. According to Kim Compagni, AVP Pain Management Services at Intermountain Healthcare, we […]

3 years ago

Sponsored Articles

Women hold card for scanning key card to access Photocopier Security system concept...

Les Olson

Why Printer Security Should Be Top of Mind for Your Business

Connected printers have vulnerable endpoints that are an easy target for cyber thieves. Protect your business with these tips.

Modern chandelier hanging from a white slanted ceiling with windows in the backgruond...

Lighting Design

Light Up Your Home With These Top Lighting Trends for 2024

Check out the latest lighting design trends for 2024 and tips on how you can incorporate them into your home.

Technician woman fixing hardware of desktop computer. Close up....

PC Laptops

Tips for Hassle-Free Computer Repairs

Experiencing a glitch in your computer can be frustrating, but with these tips you can have your computer repaired without the stress.

Close up of finger on keyboard button with number 11 logo...

PC Laptops

7 Reasons Why You Should Upgrade Your Laptop to Windows 11

Explore the benefits of upgrading to Windows 11 for a smoother, more secure, and feature-packed computing experience.

Stylish room interior with beautiful Christmas tree and decorative fireplace...

Lighting Design

Create a Festive Home with Our Easy-to-Follow Holiday Prep Guide

Get ready for festive celebrations! Discover expert tips to prepare your home for the holidays, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for unforgettable moments.

Battery low message on mobile device screen. Internet and technology concept...

PC Laptops

9 Tips to Get More Power Out of Your Laptop Battery

Get more power out of your laptop battery and help it last longer by implementing some of these tips from our guide.

How one man went from eleven years of sobriety to becoming an addict again