TEMPLE, Texas — Steven Watt is 658 days clean and sober. He has now founded a website and agency to help those that are struggling with addiction and spoke to 6 News about his road to recovery.
"I was eventually going to die, or I was going to get better, and I was fortunate, unlike some, I chose to get better," Watt said.
Watt said his path to sobriety came after his last arrest for driving under the influence. Since that time, he has worked to help not only himself but others struggling with addiction.
"I volunteer as peer support, as a mentor with Judge Depew's court, with the drug deferment court," Watt said. "I actually have been graced to lead a group on recovery and addiction at adult probation, and also with Sunrise Community Center right here in Temple."
Watt recently started his own company this year, Recovered and Motivated, aimed at helping the community with substance abuse.
"Recovered and motivated is a new mission I'm putting forward to continue to give back in community with substance abuse. My mission is recovery. I work with groups. I work individually with peer support. I help people find resources," Watt said. "Because again, there just needs to be somebody out there that can assist. And if you need to contact me, it's recoveredmotivated.com"
Aug. 31 was National Overdose Awareness Day and September is National Recovery Month. Watt stressed the relevance of forging a path recovery, but the first step is finding support.
"A support system is a tremendous thing, because anybody that's gone through recovery or is going through recovery can tell you can't do it alone. The second part is to get professional help if that's something that person needs on their journey," Watt added.
According to Watt, fentanyl deaths alone have gone up 128% since 2018. He knows the road to recovery is not easy but wants to let the community know it is possible.
"If you start recovery and you stumble or you relapse, it's not the end of the road. Take that next step. The one thing that I would plead with you is don't stop. Just don't stop. Keep going. Recovery is possible and it's doable."
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