LADWP/IBEW-Local 18/JSTI

A joint company-union program

peer volunteer program

Help with alcohol and substance use disorder or coping with a loved one’s alcohol/substance use disorder

Damon Gangi

Submitted By: Brian Butow
Damon Gangi

I would like to say my addiction started when I picked up my first drug or took my first drink, but it didn’t.  Through working the Narcotics Anonymous 12-Step program I realized my addiction started when I was age 5 with stealing.  I stole cigarettes from my father.  From there I stole his beer, money and drugs.  I grew up in a family surrounded by addiction, so it was easily available for me to take what I wanted and use what I wanted. I used off and on for years, and then when I started working at DWP in July of 2000.

See at DWP they had stated during the job interview process, that they periodically run random drug tests and I really wanted to this job, so I stopped using drugs but still drank here and there.  Fast forward 3 years later, in 2003 I got injured on the job, and severely sprained my ankle.  The workman’s comp doctor I was seeing wouldn’t prescribe me “any good “pain medication, but instead gave me a prescription for these 800ml ibuprofen tablets.  Well as any good addict will tell you, one was never enough for me.  I was up to 6 before I knew how much damage I was doing to myself.  I was home a lot, not working, recovering from surgery and had a lot of time on my hands; some of my old habits came back in to play.  I was able to manipulate my primary doctor into giving me more powerful meds such as Morphine and Vicodin tablets, and with the mix of the Ibuprofen I was a complete mess.  I stopped calling into work to report my progress, showing up to appointments, going to my kids events and school functions, just about everything that matters.  Life was so bad that, I didn’t care about my kids, work, family or my well-being, that all I cared about was the drugs.  My bosses sent me to see the doctors at our main offices at JFB, but they had no clue how to test a drug addict like me, and how I passed their test I still to this day have no idea.  But my luck only could go so far.

In early 2005, due to my addiction, DCFS came into my life (which I am grateful for). Being that I am a single dad and that my life was out of control DCFS gave me two options; 1) Stop using drugs and keep your kids or 2) don’t and lose them forever!   May 1, 2005 is my clean date and I’ve never looked back.  I have a loving Higher Power in my life today, my children, family, job, but most of all myself.  I am grateful for the gifts that NA has given to me so freely and it is my turn to give back to others in need.   In Narcotics Anonymous there’s a saying that I stand by “We don’t care about where you’ve been, who you’ve used with, or what drugs you’ve used. All we care about is how can we help you!” 

My name is Damon, How can I help you?

Damon Gangi

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