{"id":1216,"date":"2018-02-09T08:42:00","date_gmt":"2018-02-09T08:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ladwpcares.org\/?p=1216"},"modified":"2021-03-14T23:56:21","modified_gmt":"2021-03-15T06:56:21","slug":"damon-gangi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ladwpcares.org\/index.php\/2018\/02\/09\/damon-gangi\/","title":{"rendered":"Damon Gangi"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"1216\" class=\"elementor elementor-1216\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4f2af82 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4f2af82\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a842ee6\" data-id=\"a842ee6\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-837b2c2 de_scroll_animation_no elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"837b2c2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>I would like to say my addiction started when I picked up my first drug or took my first drink, but it didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Through working the Narcotics Anonymous 12-Step program I realized my addiction started when I was age 5 with stealing.\u00a0 I stole cigarettes from my father.\u00a0 From there I stole his beer, money and drugs.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4baa5dd de_scroll_animation_no elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4baa5dd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>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.\u00a0 Fast forward 3 years later, in 2003 I got injured on the job, and severely sprained my ankle.\u00a0 The workman\u2019s comp doctor I was seeing wouldn\u2019t prescribe me \u201cany good \u201cpain medication, but instead gave me a prescription for these 800ml ibuprofen tablets.\u00a0 Well as any good addict will tell you, one was never enough for me.\u00a0 I was up to 6 before I knew how much damage I was doing to myself.\u00a0 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. \u00a0I 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Life was so bad that, I didn\u2019t care about my kids, work, family or my well-being, that all I cared about was the drugs.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 But my luck only could go so far.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-65e7077 de_scroll_animation_no elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"65e7077\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>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\u2019t and lose them forever!\u00a0\u00a0 May 1, 2005 is my clean date and I\u2019ve never looked back.\u00a0 I have a loving Higher Power in my life today, my children, family, job, but most of all myself.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 \u00a0In Narcotics Anonymous there\u2019s a saying that I stand by \u201cWe don\u2019t care about where you\u2019ve been, who you\u2019ve used with, or what drugs you\u2019ve used. All we care about is how can we help you!\u201d\u00a0<\/p><p><strong>My name is Damon, How can I help you?<\/strong><\/p><p><em><strong>Damon Gangi<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I would like to say my addiction started when I picked up my first drug or took my first drink, but it didn\u2019t.&nbsp; Through working the Narcotics Anonymous 12-Step program I realized my addiction started when I was age 5 with stealing.&nbsp; I stole cigarettes from my father.&nbsp; From there I stole his beer, money&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ladwpcares.org\/index.php\/2018\/02\/09\/damon-gangi\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Damon Gangi<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":115,"featured_media":1218,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[44],"class_list":["post-1216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-peer-stories","tag-damon-gangi","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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