It's not my personal story, but that of my best friend whom I met in treatment.
He was a heroin addict off and on for 20 years. He has about 23 months sober right now.
I'm not sure what details I could share that would be helpful except to say that he's dedicated to the program of recovery and the 12 steps. He goes to 5-7 meetings per week. Sure, he has his struggles from time to time. But it's clear that his past life is nothing like the life he has now.