09-15-2024 GAR - Flipbook - Page 11
A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Sunday, September 15, 2024
11
‘I am happy beyond my wildest dreams’
Anthony Agresta shares his journey from loneliness to happiness
By Gregory J. Alexander, Contributing Writer
W
hen I spoke with Anthony
Agresta, 37, via telephone,
he was on vacation in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, watching his two daughters swim in the pool
alongside their mother. Agresta was
drinking coffee, relaxing and enjoying
every moment with his family. As we
talked, he repeatedly mentioned how
we could not believe the life he was
living. “Here I am at an all-inclusive
resort, drinking coffee and water instead of unlimited cocktails, and
watching my girls swim. They just got
back from the beach where they got
their hair braided. I am living my best
life,” he says, his overwhelming joy
evident in his voice.
A year ago, this idyllic scene was
not a remote possibility for Agresta,
who was struggling with an addiction
to alcohol.
An early start with alcohol abuse
Agresta, who was born in Santiago,
Chile and was later adopted, spent
most of his life in Pennsylvania. He
says that he first started experimenting with marijuana around the age of
13 or 14, because it was easy to obtain. “As I got older, alcohol got its
hooks into me,” he recalls. “Before I
was 21, it was all about getting access
to alcohol and making it last until I
could get it again so that I could keep
partying. When I turned 21, my drinking really took off. I had some money, and alcohol was easy to obtain in
large quantities. When I was young,
it was all about getting booze, and
as I got older, my obsession became
maintaining the façade that it was not
a problem for me. I steered toward
Anthony Agresta (left) enjoys family time in Punta Cana on a recent vacation.
people who had the same interest as
me – drinking.”
Eventually, Agresta says that he began to realize that drinking had become a problem and was taking over
his life.
“Everyone started abandoning me
and evacuating my life. They started
to run in the other direction from me,
and I feared being alone, which is exactly what happened. I was so lonely. I had possessions, but everything
seemed so empty and worthless.”
Attempts at sobriety
Agresta says he tried a few times
to get sober through treatment and
Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. “I
tried to stay away from the bottle, but
I always found myself drinking again.
I was living in West Chester, Pennsylvania, I had a mortgage to pay, so I
wound end up sitting at home alone
and drinking. I felt like the house was
working against me in a way, so I decided to sell it. Not having that financial burden allowed me to focus solely
on my sobriety.”
Agresta says that in his past attempts at sobriety, he would only be
50% committed, and he believes that
is one of the main reasons that he
would resort back to drinking. However, he says that the main reason he is
sober now can be credited to a chance
meeting with Brandon Novak, a for-
mer star skateboarder, movie and television star from several of the Jackass
movies, Viva la Bam, the CKY series
and more, who, after getting sober,
has dedicated his life to helping others
get sober.
“Brandon and I had mutual friends
because we were both in the skateboarding world. I had always looked
up to him as a fellow skateboarder,
and I heard from friends that he had
gotten sober and had opened an addiction treatment center and some sober living houses. I met him when he
came to speak at an event, and after
talking to him, I was 100% committed to getting sober. It was like I was
at the right place at the right time, and
I think the key for me getting sober
was the combination of willingness
and opportunity. Talking to Brandon
made me realize that somebody had a
better idea for my life than I did, and I
decided right then that I was going to
get sober, come hell or high water. It
was just meant to work this time … I
just knew it,” Agresta says.
Agresta says the first necessary step
for him was to get out of West Chester,
Pennsylvania, and all the temptations
there. “When I heard that Novak’s sober living houses were in Wilmington,
Delaware, I was thrilled. Not too far
away, but far enough.”
At Redemption Addiction Treatment (redemptionaddictiontreatmentcenter.com), which provides partial
hospitalization, intensive outpatient
and outpatient programs, Agresta
completed the program while living
at Novak’s House (brandonnovak.
com/novaks-house/), a recovery residence to help those struggling with
Wildest dreams
continued on page 19
