“I need to stay healthy, and, for me, that means being sober. Everything else comes second.” – Greg
For most of his professional life, Greg worked in healthcare sales. It was a high-pressure, high-performance environment where alcohol wasn’t just accepted—it was expected. Drinking with clients and coworkers was part of the culture, and for a long time, it didn’t seem like a problem. But everything changed in January 2015.
On a business trip, after an evening of drinking with colleagues and clients, Greg blacked out. He awoke in parking lot at 4 a.m., his phone flooded with concerned messages. The incident reached his company’s CEO—and despite years of hard work and close relationships, Greg was terminated from the job he loved.
Losing his career, his friends, and his place in a company he had helped build sent Greg into a spiral. He drank heavily in the aftermath, consumed by grief and shame. He chased after similar sales roles, trying to regain what he had lost, but his drinking only worsened. Later that year, he was arrested for DUI and spent a night in jail—but even that didn’t break the cycle.
It wasn’t until the summer of 2016, in a moment of medical crisis, that Greg sought help. He was admitted urgently to Gateway Foundation’s Chicago Independence location for residential treatment.
He was scared. “I needed medical attention, but I didn’t think I needed help for a substance use disorder,”
