From a drug addict – to an outstanding IDF fighter
Liron Sacharovsky spent most of his youth using drugs, drinking alcohol and getting in trouble with the law. Months before his enlistment, he decided to take his destiny in his own hands and make a change. This week, he received a certificate of excellence for his service at the Nahal Brigade.
Liron Sacharovsky
Photo Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit / Channel 2 News
20-year-old Liron Sacharovsky from Kiryat Bialik led a normal life until the end of elementary school – when he started falling into depression. Things went downhill quickly from there and he became addicted to drugs and alcohol, which led to temper tantrums, police arrests, sleeping on the street and getting in trouble with the law. So it may be surprising that this week, Sacharovsky received a certificate of excellence from the IDF for his service at the Nahal Brigade.
Sacharovsky became an alcoholic at the age of 12. “I couldn’t last a minute without alcohol. It was the only thing that was important to me,” he recounted. It was that year, when he was thrown out of his middle school due to disciplinary problems, that he also started using drugs. The drug and alcohol abuse continued throughout his years in boarding schools in Akko and Afula.
“My mother was afraid to let me into the house. Many times she would go to sleep at a friend’s,” he recalls. After an especially severe temper tantrum, in which he violently threatened his mother and broke things in the house, he was arrested for domestic violence, attempted assault and property damage. The connection with his mother was severed, and after making bail he stayed at friends’ houses and at his girlfriend’s, whom he also beat.
“No matter how tough life is, you can always start anew.”
After several unsuccessful attempts at quitting drugs and rehabilitation, the change finally came several months before his enlistment. “I woke up in the morning and looked in the mirror. I saw myself, a helpless junkie. Your family ignores you, you have no friends and you only get in trouble. I told myself that I would not live my life this way and decided to fix them.”
Ever since, he has been going to rehab on a daily basis, and has collected money in order to pay for a 15-thousand-shekel debt he got into. He claims he hasn’t touched alcohol, cigarettes or drugs since then. “I believe I will never be addicted again,” he claimed. “But in my head there is a separation. An addict is always an addict. It’s forever.” He also got back in contact with his mother and lives with her now. “We are best friends. She is happy and never thought I would enlist and be a fighter and succeed.”
Concerning his military service, Sacharovsky stated: “It appealed to me. I always wanted to be a fighter in the field.” Following tough basic training, he learned a lot and became a new person. He respects the army and the tools it gave him to change. Last Sunday, his work was rewarded with a certificate of excellence, awarded in a special ceremony.
Sacharovsky’s next goal is to become an officer. If not, he want’s to be a police officer. Either way, he wants to contribute to the country. “Everything I went through has made me strong, but on the other hand, my past haunts me,” he concludes, and asks to pass on a message to young Israelis: “No matter how tough life is, know that you can always start anew.”
https://www.jerusalemonline.com/new...-addict-–-to-an-outstanding-idf-fighter-18032
