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IDAHO FALLS – Archie Swensen thanks God every day for a second chance at life, and last month, he accomplished something that just a few years ago would've been impossible for him.
At 6:20 a.m. on Jan. 22, the 40-year-old Idaho Falls man summited Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, East Africa, after an eight-day journey. Swensen, who has been a recovering addict since 2015, sums up that moment in just three words.
"It was awesome," Swensen tells EastIdahoNews.com. "I've met God in lots of places, but nothing like that."
Living his best life and connecting with others is the thing that gives Swensen purpose and meaning these days, but it's a far cry from where he was nine years earlier.
In 2015, Swensen was laying in a hospital bed. He had cirrhosis of the liver and his kidneys were failing. Doctors told him to get his affairs in order because he only had a week to live.
Swensen grew up in an alcoholic household. His father battled an addiction to alcohol for many years, something Swensen later struggled with for two decades.
When he was 13, he smoked marijuana for the first time and was introduced to meth and other harder drugs several years later.
The lack of an emotional connection with another human being only added to his struggles.
Years of feeding the internal emptiness with drugs and alcohol led him in a downward spiral before he hit rock bottom. Desperation kicked in and he finally reached out to a higher power for help.
"There were many times I had attempted to take my life and there were times I wished I was dead. But when death was actually at my doorstep … I was scared," says Swensen. "I remember begging God for help at that point and I was like, 'I'll do anything.'"
In that instant, Swensen says he felt a weight lift off his chest. It was a lot easier to breathe all of a sudden and he was overcome with the feeling that everything was going to be OK.
He latched on to "that little bit of light," and took small steps to improve his life every day.
Brick House Recovery in Meridian, Idaho, helped him get his addiction under control. But the thing Swensen is most grateful for is achieving what he calls "emotional sobriety."
"That was me finally being able to look in the mirror and truly believe that I was healing from the hopeless state of mind and body. I was doing things I never thought I could and accomplishing goals I never thought I would accomplish," he says.
Eventually, Swensen learned to love himself and, with the encouragement of his mentor, began challenging himself by running marathons.
The physical exercise proved to be a good thing for both his mind and his body.
Staying connected to himself, others and a higher power has been very beneficial for him on his path of recovery.
"I'm a firm believer that you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with, so I surrounded myself with people who are goal-oriented, who are always doing more," says Swensen.
Several months ago, Swensen's mentor gave him the ultimate challenge to summit Kilimanjaro. After years of mentoring others on their journey of recovery, he decided to take it on and show them what was possible. He's grateful for the experience.
Swensen says the key to maintaining his recovery is overcoming the negative self-talk and learning self-mastery.
"I've got a forgetter that works really good. I need to always remind myself that my actions need to match my prayers," he says. "I'm focused on being in the moment with the people I care about and being emotionally available."
