MARYSVILLE – To escape the drug world, Patrick Phillips put himself in a self-imposed Witness Protection program.

“I had to change everything about myself,” he said. “You have to change your nouns – person, place and things.”

That wasn’t easy to do since Phillips, 34, was still living in the same area where he was a user of meth and heroin for almost 20 years.

One of the hardest places for him to stay away from is the casino. He still has urges to go there.

“They’ve got so much of my money. But I can’t do that to myself,” he said, adding he knows there would be old friends and drugs there. “Some of my old friends are still doing dumb stuff.”

He said when he sees some “people I know, I have to turn around and leave because I can’t have interaction with them. It would be toxic.”

Phillips, who said addictions run in his family, got involved with drugs as a teen. He didn’t fit in anywhere because he was socially awkward.

Looking back, as if advising others who feel that way during middle school, Phillips said he “wished there had been more options.”

He suggested programs should be available to help those who feel out of place to “get together and interact at a social level.”

He admitted those who feel outcast say they like it, “but no, you don’t like it.”

A commonality, such as an interest in video games, could be all that’s needed to get these youngsters to socialize.

“Everyone needs to say something,” he said, adding if they don’t they can feel pressured and develop severe panic attacks. And then, turning to drugs can “easily happen.”.

“I was miserable being that person,” he recalled. “I wanted to escape my existence.”

He didn’t fit in with the druggies either, but at least they would hang out with him.

“I could never get enough. I put it first,” he said of drugs.

Phillips was a high-functioning addict as he graduated from Marysville-Pilchuck High School and went to college for three years. But when his grandma who helped raise him died he spiraled down even further. He became a shut in.

“I wanted to hurt myself,” he said.

Phillips did try to quit drugs a few times, but would give up.

“Withdrawals scared me,” he said.

Phillips was arrested three years ago and was court-ordered to get treatment. He was assessed locally by Catholic Community Services. He was sent to the James Oldham Treatment Center in Yakima, which he said did an amazing job of helping him recover.

“It’s the first time I’ve taken my recovery seriously,” he said.

But what really turned him around was being court-ordered to do 120 hours of community service. He connected with the Marysville Community Food Bank.

“It was life changing,” he said.

Phillips smiled a big smile and shook his head slightly; he can’t believe how far he’s come.

“Who would have thought that I would be Volunteer of the Year and get a standing ovation?” he asked.

He said if someone would have told him that he “could be a productive member of society,” he would have said, “Never.”

Phillips said the people at the food bank treat him like family. He volunteers 20 hours a week – “doing a little bit of everything” – and has a mentor who taught him to drive a forklift.

“Sometimes I wondered if there were any good people in the world. There are. At the food bank,” he said.

He added that the other volunteers and people who work there are so positive.

“They don’t want anything from me,” he said. “They don’t judge me.”

That last aspect is so important to Phillips. It takes a lot of pressure off when you know you can make a mistake.

“It’s a breath of fresh air. It’s a huge part of my recovery,” he said, adding he’s gained so much confidence.

“It’s hard for me to believe, but I know I’m worth a damn,” he said.

And he’s not done. Phillips hopes to finish getting his degree in Business Management and start his own business so he can help his family.

JoAnn Sewell, the food bank’s volunteer coordinator, said she is glad Phillips came there.

“If we can help somebody straighten out their life” there’s nothing better, she said.

Sewell said it took a little while because he was shy.

“He was worried people would make fun of him. But he’s a main part of our crew now,” she said, adding she respects him so much sometimes she seeks advice from him.

Phillip’s said Sewell is like a second mom to him, and she talks like she is. “I’m so proud of him,” she said.

Not long ago he told her, “You guys literally saved my life. It made me cry.”