His name is Jordan Belfort, star of “Wolf on Wall Street”. Self-proclaimed “former member of the middle class raised by two accountants in a tiny apartment in Bayside Queens. The year I turned 26 is the head of my own brokerage firm I made 49 million dollars, which really pissed me off because it was three shy of a million a week.” He points out his Ferrari is red. Jordan works as a penny stock con artist, who cons working people out of their hard earned money, only to leave them broke and hopeless. Belfort, was fueled by drugs, women, power, and money. It was valium for breakfast, marijuana for lunch, Quaaludes for dinner, and women whenever he could find time between conning and abusing drugs.
His name is John. Yeah John suits him just fine these days. Self-proclaimed “former resident of using you to boost me up the ladder of success. Raised in sunny California by two tremendous teachers that put me first in everything that they did. I owned my own insurance company in my late 20’s making more money in a month than my hard-working parents did in a year combined educating our youth.” John built his company on fraudulent business ethics, drugs, alcohol, and greed. It was bound to come crashing down on him. John just didn’t know when.
Jordan Belfort claims he changed his life after 22 months in jail, due to his business tactics. Facing a steep uphill battle to repay damages, trust, and his life, Jordan is a motivational speaker and is receiving money for selling his story to Hollywood. While insisting his life played out on movie screens nationwide, Jordan seems more apologetic that he got caught more than anything else. In an interview with “The Wolf on Wall Street” director Martin Scorsese, Leonard DiCaprio (who plays Belfort in the movie), film writer Terry Winters, and costar Jonah Hill on The Hollywood Reporter, you’ll see DiCaprio say, “After reading…how candid and honest Jordan Belfort was about his undertakings – I never read an account of anything more embarrassing in my life. He was a modern day Caligula…gone awry in the 80s and 90s.” Winter says it’s impossible to believe how giddily Belfort wrote about himself and others in this book in his “greedy indulgent ride as a crooked banker burning thousands of investors.”
John chose to give drug and alcohol treatment another chance. It’s not like he had much of a choice this last time. “I was given the option of jail or long term treatment,” says John. “I went to several treatment centers in the past when my drug and alcohol abuse were taking a toll on my physically, but I never once walked out of them thinking that I was not going to drink and drug more.” As per his legal arrangement, John finished long term treatment and found himself at a crossroads in life. “I saw life differently coming out of long term treatment. Never once did I think I would choose sobriety once leaving treatment, but given the chance to go back to my old way of going through life, I chose to stay in recovery.”
Long term recovery is being able to use the past as a beacon of hope, and not something to be glorified and used as a status symbol. It’s living according to spiritual principles in every aspect of life, every step, and every interaction. Long term recovery is progress, not perfection. It is more than not using drugs and alcohol.
Burning Tree Programs is the leading resource when it comes to long term recovery. With licensed clinicians specializing in chronic relapse, twelve step immersion, and building on integrity, accountability, and selfishness, Burning Tree Long Term Rehab Programs has not changed since David Elliott opened the doors in 1999. Burning Tree is about living beyond sobriety. If you or a loved one has lost all hope, allow Burning Tree to share some of theirs. Burning Tree is the trusted solution for the hopeless and helpless, and is just a phone call away. Call 866-287-2877 to speak to a Burning Tree Specialist, or learn more about long term treatment for addiction.
