Aaron Froman

Many who struggle with addiction have a defining rock-bottom moment in which they realize it’s time to get help. For Aaron Froman, that moment came not with a crash, but a persistent whisper. Aaron’s struggle came to a head when he realized he had to make a choice between being the rock and caretaker for his chronically ill wife and four daughters or continuing to live in denial of his addiction. When his struggling wife asked him to get help, he chose to live for his family and never regretted that moment.

Raised between Wyoming, Colorado, and Kansas, Aaron was able to see firsthand how a parent’s addiction affects and shapes a family, as he grew up with a father who was a prisoner his own alcoholism. When Aaron’s parents divorced, the relief of the separation caused him to realize that he never wanted to treat his own family the way his father treated his brother, mother, and self.

Though Aaron drank in high school, he quit when he realized he would be following his father’s example if he continued. Aaron married his high school sweetheart, Laura, in 2003. The two eventually became parents to four girls: Madison (21), Joslynne (15), Eliza (9), and Mable (2). Aaron lives his life for his girls, and they were the sole reason he was able to eventually pull himself out of his addiction.

Aaron’s addiction initially began when he sought help for his chronic back pain, as a career working in the oil fields took its toll on his body. He finally sought help from a doctor who would prescribe him Oxycodone and Percocet. Aaron explains, “At the time, the doctors were handing them out like candy, and they were all over the streets, and they were truly everywhere.” Though the pills were offered as a temporary measure, Aaron found that he couldn’t quit cold turkey like the doctor expected him to. He says, “The doctor told me I had to wean myself off of them, which was pretty much impossible, as I was well and truly hooked.”

Aaron’s pill dependency began slowly with increasingly frequent usage. He explains, “it got to the point that I was taking them too fast, and resorted to buying them off the streets, and interacting with people I shouldn’t have been and spending way too much.” Though his addiction never caused physical harm to his family, his older children and wife eventually became more aware of his problems, noting his abrupt absences, his diminishing happiness, and growing inattentiveness.

Laura began to suggest that Aaron seek out help, but he didn’t act until her chronic illness became serious, hospitalizing her for weeks at a time. Aaron says, “I was able to provide but I wasn’t able to be a good dad and a husband, which is more stress on my wife than there ever should have been.” They finally found Center for Change in a Google search, and Aaron was able to get in quickly and found immediate and life changing results through Dr. Lakin, Tevra, and the Center for Change program. Aaron explains, “With a normal doc you just go in, they give you pills and you leave, but Dr. Lakin is deeply engaged in the process… you never feel like he’s rushing you out or makes you feel unimportant.”

Recovery brought a new clarity to Aaron’s life, transforming his career trajectory, his family life, his mind set, and his health. As he celebrates his fifth year of sobriety, he has hopes that others like himself are able to renew their life as he did: “Recovery is only impossible to those who don’t try. Your drug mind is downplaying the problem and telling you don’t need help, and I promise that you do. Getting help is by far the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. “