08/03/2025
Peer support is so important. Any CMS employee with lived experience brings som**hing special to their work everyday, and Teddy is one of the best đź’ś
So incredibly proud he chooses to work here. Read his story in full below. Thank you, Teddy, and thank you to every one of our team members doing this work.
The following story was submitted by an independent contributor. In the future we hope to bring more positive and inspirational stories of people in Sierra Vista that are making a difference in our community.
What do you see when you look at me?
"My name is Theodore McGuire. Prior to December 23, 2018, you would have seen an active drug addict and criminal. I did four terms of probation for a total of 13 years. I was convicted of burglary, criminal trespassing, and some things I don’t remember because of my addiction issues.My drug of choice was m**h. It made me feel 10 feet tall and bulletproof It’s demonic,
you don’t care about the consequences, you just want to do whatever you can to stay high. I would do 20-25 shots of m**h a day. I couldn’t eat and would stay awake for days. When I crashed, I would sleep for 3-4 days straight. M**h completely numbs you. When I had a job and would go to work with pre-loaded m**h needles in my socks. I would steal everything I could get ahold of. I committed fraud by writing checks to payday loan companies and never pay them back. I didn’t care; I just wanted that next fix.
My life changed in December 2018, I woke up at my mother’s house, I started crying because I realized if I didn’t change my life I would be in prison, on fentanyl or dead. I asked my mother to take me to detox but was refused by the clinic because my UA was clean. It had been 3-4 days since I did m**h, so it was out of my system. I did an intensive outpatient (IOP) program for 12 months for alcohol and took Vivitrol, now known as Naltrexone, and have not had a relapse.
I started to work at a local restaurant and met Trevor through my IOP program. Trevor told me about a job at Community Medical Services. I applied for the job and was hired as a Peer Support and Community Impact Specialist. I assist people with addiction by getting them to detox, I do intakes for op**te use disorder and get them to the resources available. I also help with Drug Court and Care Court helping people with addiction any way I can.
Harm reduction treatment is the key to slowing a person’s drug use. My job is making me a bridge to get people help. They need to know there is someone that cares.
Now I’m living amends to everyone I harmed. I recently graduated from Cochise College with an associate’s degree. I plan on continuing my education and doing som**hing in the field of social work. Helping people is the highest, high, I’ve ever had. I owe everything to God and his plan for me.
If you or someone you know needs help with an addiction, contact Theodore McGuire at Community Medical Services by calling 520-895-6300 Ext 505 or by email at Theodore.McGuire@cmsgiveshope.com.
This story is provided by an independent contributor.
